Bausch Health, Salix Pharmaceuticals and Alfasigma SpA filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Sandoz, a division of Novartis.
What you should know:
1. The companies are suing Sandoz, alleging patent infringement on 14 patents by Sandoz's recent abbreviated new drug application for Xifaxan.
2. Bausch holds the patents to Xifaxan, and will "continue to vigorously defend its intellectual property," the company wrote in a statement. Xifaxan is protected by 22 patents.
3. Bausch previously defended Xifaxan in an intellectual property litigation lawsuit against Actavis Laboratories. The two companies came to an agreement, where Bausch granted Actavis a nonexclusive distribution license effective Jan. 1, 2028.
Note: A representative of Novartis was unavailable before press time. This story will be updated if we hear back.