Monday, August 21, 2006

Drug Wars Update 6

A second day of hearings on Bristol Myer's preliminary injunction motion was heard today before Judge Sidney H. Stein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. An MIT economics professor, Jerry Hausman, testified for Bristol Myers that the damage has already been done to Bristol Myers' Plavix patent. "According to data from pharmaceutical market clearinghouse IMS Health Inc. (RX), about 65% of prescriptions filled nationally for Plavix on Friday (and 78% of new prescriptions) were for the generic version, Hausman said." Evidence from the hearings also has disclosed that Apotex has been manufacturing its generic version of Plavix for almost a year. No ruling on the Bristol Myers motion has been issued yet.

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