HC rejects BMS’ plea on sale of hepatitis B generic by Ranbaxy

The Delhi High Court (HC) has turned down Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BMS) request to temporarily stop Ranbaxy from selling its generic version of the American firm’s patented hepatitis B drug Baraclude in India.

The court rejected the plea for an interim injunction, which means Ranbaxy can continue to sell its drug in India. The court will now go to a trial stage, which is a long drawn process, to verify the validity of BMS’ patent for Entecavir (Baraclude) and whether Ranbaxy’s generic version infringes on it.