Federal appeals court rules patents for Oxycontin are invalid- Purdue Pharma

A federal appeals court ruled that four patents related to OxyContin (oxycodone) are invalid. Purdue had sued Teva, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Epic Pharma and a U.S. arm of Mylan NV after they sought approval from the FDA to make generic OxyContin. The ruling by the Federal U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld earlier orders from a lower court judge in favor of the generic companies. Purdue said that it was reviewing the decision and considering what to do next.

In 2014, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan said that some of Purdue's patents for OxyContin were invalid because they did not add significant changes to the drug. Three of Purdue's patents cover an improved formula for oxycodone, OxyContin's active ingredient, and another describes abuse-deterrent technology for the drug licensed from German pharma Grunenthal GmbH, which is also named as a plaintiff in the suit.