Lannett Company, Inc. (AMEX:LCI), a manufacturer of generic
pharmaceuticals, today said that on June 6, 2008 it initiated a lawsuit
against KV Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries Drugtech
Corporation and Ther-Rx Corporation in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Delaware. Lannett seeks a declaratory judgment of patent
invalidity, patent non-infringement and patent unenforceability for
inequitable conduct with respect to seven patents owned by or licensed
to KV or its subsidiaries and pertaining to the PrimaCare ONE®
prenatal vitamin product, marketed by Ther-Rx, unfair competition,
deceptive trade practices and antitrust violations. KV has filed a
counterclaim against Lannett asserting, among other things, patent
infringement, trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair
competition.
“Patent suits are unfortunately part of the
nature of our industry,” said Arthur
Bedrosian, president and chief executive officer of Lannett. “We
initiated the suit against KV Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries
because one of the most valuable contributions that a generic drug
company can make toward lowering health care costs is to identify and
unseat those brand drugs that rely upon questionable tactics and claims
of patent protection for their exclusivity. We stand behind our products
and position, fully convinced we will prevail in court.”
At a hearing on June 25, 2008, KV requested, but failed to receive, a
temporary restraining order against Lannett’s
continued sale of its prenatal vitamin product. Nor was Lannett
required, as KV had requested, to recall any of its shipped product. The
court ordered, and Lannett has complied with a ruling to provide its
distributors with new labels adequate to cover the Ther-Rx trademark
appearing on those bottles of Lannett’s
prenatal vitamin product existing in the distributors’
inventory. Lannett’s label had included
Ther-Rx’s PrimaCare ONE®
trademark, along with an invitation to compare Lannett’s
product with PrimaCare ONE®.
Bedrosian went on to say that, with slight modifications to the label,
Lannett will continue to market its prenatal vitamin product.
Lannett Company:
Lannett Company, founded in 1942, develops, manufactures, packages,
markets and distributes generic pharmaceutical products for a wide range
of indications. For more information, visit Lannett Company’s
website at www.lannett.com.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which
express the current beliefs and expectations of management.