US court invalidates Astrazeneca's asthma drug

16th Feb 2015 10:11

Astrazeneca's patent on its Pulmicort Respules treatment for asthma has been ruled by a US court as invalid.The US District Court of New Jersey ruling paves the way for generic versions of the lung drug to be released into the market. Actavis said it released a version of the drug following the court's decision.Paul Hudson, president of Astrazeneca, said the company "strongly disagrees with the court's decision"."AstraZeneca has full confidence in the strength of its intellectual property rights protecting Pulmicort Repsules. We are reviewing the decision and considering our legal options, including an appeal."Shares fell 0.88% to 4,511p at 10:20 GMT on Monday.