(Alliance News) - Vectura Group PLC on Friday said the English High Court dismissed a case against Sandoz Ltd's generic version of GlaxsmithKline PLC's Seretide Accuhaler.
The case was bought against Sandoz Ltd and others by Glaxo Wellcome UK Ltd and another party. It concerns the generic, which was launched under the trademark AirFluSal Forspiro and treats asthma and chronic obscructive pulmonary disease. Forspiro is a dry power inhaler and was developed by Vectura.
Glaxo's Seretide combines two active ingredients to ease breathing, a steroid and a bronchodilator, and is sold in two forms in the UK. These are the disk inhaler sold as Seretide Accuhaler and the metered dose inhaler sold at Seretide and Evolhaler. These products are both "coloured two shades of purple".
The AirFluSol Fospiro device, meanwhile, is "largely coloured a shade of purple and is sold in packaging featuring a shade of purple".
Glaxo, according to Vectura, claimed Sandoz was passing off AirFluSal Forspiro "as being connected in the course of trade with GSK and/or as being equivalent to Seretide Accuhaler through its get up and packaging".
Vectura was "joined to the action during the course of proceedings" and is "indemnified by Sandoz".
Vectura said: "This action is one of a number of actions brought throughout Europe by GSK against Sandoz, directed towards the sale and distribution by Sandoz of AirFluSal Forspiro, none of which to date have been ultimately been successful."
Shares in Vectura were up 2.3% at 84.75 pence in London on Friday afternoon. Glaxo shares were up 1.5% at 1,696.40p.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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Glaxosmithkline (GSK)