Perrigo moves forward with generic Zegerid OTC

Perrigo files an abbreviated new drug application for a generic equivalent of the heart burn reliever Zegerid OTC, drawing a patent infringement suit from Schering-Plough HealthCare Products filed Sept. 20 in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey. Perrigo notes a federal court in Delaware ruled earlier this year in a similar suit that the same patents were invalid due to obviousness (1"The Tan Sheet" April 19, 2010). An appeal is pending in the Delaware case, which is related to Zegerid prescription products. Perrigo said in a Sept. 24 release that it notified Schering-Plough prior to filing the ANDA for the omeprazole 20 mg /sodium bicarbonate 1,100 mg drug. The private labeler cites data from Chicago-based IRI Symphony that places sales of Zegerid OTC at about $60 million annualized in the most recent month