ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Inc.

ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. and its U.S. subsidiary ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Inc. (collectively “ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½”) today announced that the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey has ruled in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½'s favor with respect to ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½'s motion for a preliminary injunction in its patent infringement lawsuit against Teva Pharmaceuticals and its division Gate Pharmaceuticals (collectively “Teva”) concerning Aricept® (generic name: donepezil hydrochloride tablets).

As previously announced, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ filed the infringement actions in December 2005 contesting Teva's submission of an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) to the FDA for Aricept®.
“We are pleased with the court's preliminary injunction decision to prevent the sale of Teva's generic product before the expiration of the donepezil composition of matter patent,” said Mr. Hajime Shimizu, Chairman & CEO of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Corporation of North America and ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Inc.
“We will continue to actively protect our intellectual property throughout the world.”

Aricept®, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor developed by ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. in Japan, increases the concentration of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. Aricept® was launched in the United States in 1997 and is indicated for the treatment of mild, moderate, and severe dementia of the Alzheimer's type. In the United States, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Inc. copromotes Aricept® with Pfizer Inc.