Court Affirms ADHD Drug Patent Ruling

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. said that an appeals court affirmed that a disputed patent on Johnson & Johnson''s attention deficit drug Concerta is invalid, the Associated Press reports. In March 2009, the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del., ruled that the primary patent on J&J''s drug was invalid and that Watson''s planned generic version doesn''t infringe on the patent. The pill is the fifth-best-selling prescription drug for Johnson & Johnson, with global sales of $1.33 billion last year. On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Court affirmed the lower court''s ruling. J&J affirmed the appeals court decision. Watson said its generic version of Concerta has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.