BRIEF—Indivior gets temporary restraining order against Dr Reddy's

Following the announcement a day earlier that Indian generic drugmaker Dr Reddy’s Laboratories had received  US approval for a copy cat version of its Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual film for the treatment of opioid dependence, and launched the product on Friday - despite ongoing litigation, Indivior on Saturday announced that the US District Court for the District of New Jersey has granted Indivior a temporary restraining order (TRO) that compels Dr Reddy's to immediately cease its launch activities related to Suboxone Film.

This TRO will remain in place pending a hearing on the preliminary injunction (PI) motion filed by Indivior this morning, which has been scheduled for June 28, 2018 and with a ruling expected soon after that date.

This PI motion will result in a hearing with the District Court where Indivior will seek to extend the cessation of launch activities by Dr Reddy’s pending the outcome of the recently filed litigation against the Indian firm related to the '305 patent.

Suboxone brand had US sales of around $1.86 billion for the 12 months ended April 2018, according to IQVIA.

Shaun Thaxter, Indivior’s chief executive said: "We are pleased that the Court has granted our request for a temporary restraining order. This order will stop Dr Reddy's launch activities before the court has had a chance to rule on the preliminary injunction motion. We will continue to pursue all legal avenues against Dr Reddy's to protect our Suboxone Film patent estate."