J&J SUBSIDIARY SUES WYETH OVER EFFEXOR XR

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Alza has sued Wyeth Pharmaceuticals alleging that Wyeth's antidepressant Effexor XR infringes on a J&J patent for technology used to provide controlled release of some drugs, according to court documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) is one of the world's best-selling antidepressants, with $918 million in sales during the second quarter of 2006.

A Wyeth spokeswoman said the company is aware of Alza's suit and believes the patent is not relevant to the sale, use or manufacture of Effexor XR.

The case number is 9:06-cv-00156-RHC.

In a related announcement, Teva Pharmaceutical said Aug. 4 it had received final FDA approval to market generic versions of Effexor XR in 25-, 37.5-, 50-, 75- and 100-mg. tablets.