Teva sues over birth-control pills

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the largest generic-drug maker in the world, is suing Mylan Inc. to stop it from selling copies of the birth-control pills LoSeasonique and Seasonique, Bloomberg News reported.

Mylan, the biggest U.S. maker of generic drugs, which is based near Pittsburgh, is seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to sell versions of the drugs, the news service said.

Teva, which is based in Petah Tikvah, Israel, and has North American headquarters in North Wales, Montgomery County, wants a court to stop Mylan from getting final FDA approval until the patents expire (LoSeasonique in 2023; Seasonique in 2024).

Mylan has said the patents are either invalid or won't be infringed by the copy, Bloomberg reported.

The suits were filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J.    - Inquirer Staff