Delhi High Court today restrained Indian firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals from manufacturing and selling its anti-diabetes drugs Zita and Zita-Met, saying it has infringed patent of the American drug major Merck Sharp and Dohme.
The American firm had sought injunction against Glenmark alleging that the Indian pharma company had violated its IPR over its anti-diabetes medicines, Januvia and Janumet, by coming out with their own drugs containing the same salts. It said it had invented ‘Sitagliptin’ salt used in its anti-diabetes drugs and has patent over molecule.
Glenmark, on the other hand, had contended that it has used ‘Sitagliptin Phosphate’ in its anti-diabetes drugs, and US firm has no patent right over this salt. It said that Sitagliptin Phosphate has been a distinct product from Sitagliptin and due to this, the US firm had obtained separate patent for Sitagliptin Phosphate in the US. According to market sources, Glenmark’s version costs around 30 per cent less.