PAXIL MAKERS SETTLE AMIDST ALLEGATIONS OF FRIVOLOUS PATENT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUITS
According to an article in The Advocate, GlaxoSmithKiline, the makers of the well-known anti-depressant drug Paxil, have settled with state medicaid programs for $14 million. The state programs alleged that the company blocked generic versions of Paxil from being produced, causing the states to pay increased fees.
The states’ allegations included the claim that GlaxoSmithKline used frivolous patent-infringement lawsuits against generic drug makers which, in turn, triggered automatic extensions of Paxil’s patent.
The Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was quoted in the article as saying that GlaxoSMithKline “tried to protect its monopoly with frivolous lawsuits based on problematic patents.”
GlaxoSmithKline spokesperson Gaile Renegar denied any wrongdoing by the company, which was not admitting liability in making the settlement.
If you are intersted in learning more about protecting patents with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, and/or patent infringement issues, I would suggest you contact a patent attorney to guide you through the complexitites of intellectual property law.