Yaz generics, lawsuits take bite out of Bayer's profits
August 5th, 2010 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Sales of Yaz birth control pills fell 15 percent in the second quarter of 2010, which Bayer Corp. blames on increased competition from generics marketed in the United States by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Teva introduced its Yaz copycat, Gianvi, earlier this year only to be slapped with a patent lawsuit by Bayer. It’s not the first lawsuit Bayer has filed against Teva in hopes of protecting the multimillion dollar market share it has enjoyed with Yaz.
The fight between Bayer and Teva over their rival oral contraceptive pills continues to heat up. In June, Bayer argued that Teva made claims on Givani’s safety label that were false, claiming that its pill contained the same technology as Yaz that enabled it to have a longer shelf life. Teva agreed to change its labeling to include the adjusted shelf life claims and to inform pharmacies in the United States of this change on a weekly basis for three months.
The patent infringement suit Bayer has filed against Teva asks for an injunction to prevent Teva from selling Gianvi. Teva was awarded a 180-day marketing exclusivity period for Gianvi by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after being the first company to file an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA). Bayer claims Teva stepped on its toes by prematurely launching Gianvi.
Perhaps a bigger bite to Bayer’s profits will come when it begins to settle the more than 1,100 lawsuits filed against it from women who claim the drug company didn’t adequately warn them that they were at greater risk of developing serious health problems such as blood clots, heart attack, stroke and gallbladder problems.