France's Sanofi-Aventis to Delay US Plavix Litigation

France's sanofi-aventis has announced that the date of its litigation against Canada's Apotex and Indian generic drugmaker Dr. Reddy's over blockbuster blood thinner Plavix has been put back to April 8. The case, to be heard at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, was earlier scheduled for March 4. The delay follows a request from all parties to the suit.

Plavix is currently one of sanofi-aventis' most lucrative products, and it reportedly earned some EUR2.96bn (US$3.92bn) last year, or roughly 14% of the company's total revenue in the year. The US market, where Plavix is marketed by drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb, accounts for approximately half of worldwide earnings on the drug.