Novo Nordisk to appeal adverse ruling in US Prandin patent case

Danish insulin giant Novo Nordisk (NVO: N) revealed this morning that Judge Avern Cohn of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan issued an adverse ruling in a patent litigation case regarding Novo Nordisk's US Patent No 6,677,358 relating to its type 2 diabetes drug Prandin (repaglinide). The company intends to appeal this ruling and is evaluating its best options for doing so.

The district court ruled that the patent, which covers the combination use of repaglinide and metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, is invalid and unenforceable. Novo Nordisk markets repaglinide under the trade name Prandin and a fixed dose repaglinide/metformin tablet under the trade name PrandiMet.

The district court ruling has the potential to facilitate launch of a generic repaglinide. At present, it is unclear whether or when a generic version of Prandin or PrandiMet will be available in the US market, said Novo Nordisk. For the first nine months of 2010, US sales of Prandin and PrandiMet amounted to $134 million.