Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has announced that its subsidiary, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to settle patent litigation involving Teva’s U.S. generic version of AstraZeneca’s Pulmicort (Budesonide) Respules® including all claims for patent infringement and damages. Teva launched its generic budesonide respules in the U.S. on November 18, 2008. The agreement releases Teva for all past U.S. sales of its generic budesonide respules and provides that any product already shipped by Teva will remain in the market to be further distributed and dispensed. Teva will not resume shipping additional units of its budesonide respules until December 15, 2009 (or earlier based on certain contingencies) pursuant to an exclusive license for which Teva will pay AstraZeneca an undisclosed royalty.
