Reddy’s and Hospira lose over US Alimta

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Pfizer’s Hospira unit have suffered defeats in their US litigation over a vitamin regimen patent protecting Eli Lilly’s Alimta (pemetrexed disodium) injectable oncology drug. Lilly expects both of the generics companies to appeal against the ruling by the US district court for the Southern District of Indiana that the alternative salt forms of pemetrexed proposed by the generics firms would infringe US patent 7,772,209, which expires on 24 May 2022, including a six-month paediatric extension.