Lundbeck and Forest announce federal court upholds Lexapro® patent

14-07-2006 - H. Lundbeck A/S and Forest Laboratories, Inc. said today that the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has determined that the U.S. patent covering escitalopram, the active ingredient in Lexapro®, is both valid, enforceable and infringed by Ivax/Tevas proposed generic product, thereby confirming Lundbeck´s and Forest´s patent rights for Lexapro®, which expire in March 2012.

Judge Joseph J. Farnan ruled in Lundbeck’s and in Forest’s favor in a lawsuit brought by Lundbeck and its partner Forest against the generic manufacturer Ivax/Teva.

The patent at issue in the U.S. lawsuit is Lexapro’s patent (U.S. Patent No. Re 34,712), which is set to expire in March 2012 and covers substantially pure escitalopram.

Forest forward-looking statement
Except for the historical information contained herein, this release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting FDA approvals, the acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development and launch of new products, and the risk factors listed from time to time in the Forest Laboratories’ SEC reports, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.

Lundbeck forward-looking statement
The content of this release will have no influence on the Lundbeck Group’s financial result for 2006.

About Forest Laboratories, Inc.
Forest Laboratories (Forest Laboratories, Inc.) is a US-based pharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, developing, and delivering products that make a positive difference in peoples’ lives. Forest Laboratories’ growing product line includes Lexapro® (escitalopram oxalate), an SSRI indicated for adults for the initial and maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder and for generalized anxiety disorder; Namenda® (memantine HCl), an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease; Benicar®* (olmesartan medoxomil), an angiotensin receptor blocker, and Benicar* HCT® (olmesartan medoxomil-hydrochlorothiazide), an angiotensin receptor blocker and diuretic combination product, each indicated for the treatment of hypertension; and Campral®* (acamprosate calcium), indicated in combination with psychosocial support for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation.

*Benicar is a registered trademark of Sankyo Pharma, Inc., and Campral is a registered trademark of Merck Santé s.a.s., subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

About Lundbeck
H. Lundbeck A/S is an international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development, production, marketing and sale of drugs for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. In 2005, the company’s revenue was DKK 9.1 billion (approximately EUR 1.2 billion or USD 1.5 billion). The number of employees is approximately 5,000 globally. For further information, please visit www.lundbeck.com

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H. Lundbeck A/S

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