Sanofi Sues Glenmark Alleging Hypertension Drug Patent Violated

A unit of Sanofi-Aventis SA, France's largest drugmaker, and Abbott Laboratories sued India's Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. alleging infringement of a U.S. patent for the hypertension drug Tarka.

Sanofi-Aventis Germany said in a complaint filed Dec. 7 in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, that Glenmark has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market a copy of the medicine, used to treat high blood pressure. The two companies are seeking a court order blocking Mumbai-based Glenmark from selling the drug until the patent expires in 2015. Sanofi in 2004 granted Abbott Park, Illinois-based Abbott an exclusive license for U.S. sales of the combination of the compounds trandolapril and verapamil hydrochloride.