Teva and Novartis settle patent lawsuit

Teva Pharmaceuticals, US, has signed an agreement with Novartis to settle patent litigation involving Teva's US generic version of the Novartis-developed antiviral medication Famvir (famciclovir).

The settlement includes all claims for patent infringement and damages.

Under the terms of the agreement, Israel-based Teva will make an undisclosed one-time payment to Novartis plus ongoing royalties on US sales of its product, which is used to treat herpes and shingles.

Teva is among the top 15 global pharmaceutical companies and is a leading generic pharmaceutical company. Teva launched the generic version of Famvir in September 2007.