Wyeth/Teva extend Protonix standstill

US drug major Wyeth Pharmaceuticals says that it has agreed with Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, subsidiary of the like named Israeli generics giant, to extend the standstill period previously announced on December 24, 2007, for 10 days while the parties continue to explore whether a settlement of their patent litigation is possible. The extension will expire on January 31 this year.

Following Teva's launch last December of a pantoprazole tablet, a generic version of Wyeth's Protonix, the two firms agreed to a standstill period, which would have expired on January 22. During this period, Teva agreed not to sell or ship additional generic pantoprazole product in order to allow the parties an opportunity to explore whether settlement was possible.

While the extension of the standstill agreement allows both parties to continue these discussions, it in no way guarantees that a settlement will be reached. The situation is complex, and there are a number of significant obstacles to a potential settlement, says Wyeth.