AstraZeneca sues Dr. Reddy's over asthma drug

NEW YORK Indian drug manufacturer Dr. Reddy’s Labs has drawn a patent-infringement lawsuit from AstraZeneca after filing an application to sell zafirlukast, a generic version of AstraZeneca’s asthma drug Accolate.

AstraZeneca says that Dr. Reddy’s violated certain patents for the drug in a suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Two patents expire in 2011, while a third expires in 2013. AstraZeneca wants the court to prevent Dr. Reddy’s from selling the drug before the patents expire.

Accolate had U.S. sales of $76 million in 2007, according to AstraZeneca financial data.