Forest gets Lexapro patent extension

NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) -- Forest Laboratories said Thursday its patent on anti-depressant Lexapro has been extended for nearly two and a half years. The company said it received a notice from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that its patent covering Lexapro's composition of matter has been extended for 828 days. That means the Lexapro patent is now in effect until Sept. 14, 2011, and until March 14, 2012, with inclusion of six months' market exclusivity the drug maker was granted for completing pediatric studies of Lexapro. Lexapro is currently approved to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder in adults. Earlier this month reports said Forest Laboratories was substantially reducing its Lexapro inventories due to slumping U.S. sales. Forest is reportedly anticipating just under $2 billion in sales in fiscal 2006.

I am a member of a group called Drug Awareness, and our director Ann Blake Tracy sent out this email this morning telling about more insanity from the FDA.

Jenny Hatch

LEXAPRO: $4.25 Billion in new profits - How many dead children???????

Just this past year we got black box warnings on the harmful effects of antidepressants upon children, even to the extent of doubling the suicide rate in this age group. But apparently the FDA suffers from severe memory loss because they have just given a 2 1/4 year extension on the Lexapro patent for Forest Labs testing this deadly antidepressant, Lexapro, upon CHILDREN!!! Can someone give me any logical excuse for that other than $$$$$$$$?? This is the exact same reason the FDA gave patent extensions to all of the other makers of antidepressants in the past which meant lots of profits to those companies. And this is exactly how we ended up with so many children in trouble on antidepressants and with a severe black box warning being placed upon all antidepressants on the market currently and ANY antidepressant to be approved in the future. So WHY on earth would the FDA approve of this process and make it so financially advantageous to this company when we already know and have such strong warnings on these drugs? This is clearly insanity at its height!!! Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Executive Director, International Coalition for Drug Awareness

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