Roche to sue Teva over patent of Boniva

BASEL, Switzerland Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding has filed suit against generic pharmaceutical maker Teva over Roche’s patented osteoporosis treatment, the company said Tuesday.

Roche filed a complaint at a New Jersey district court to prevent Teva from selling their generic version of Boniva, the company’s spokeswoman said.

Sales of Boniva for the first six months of the year totaled $314 million. Recently, Roche’s rival Novartis filed for an injunction against the generic pharmaceutical maker to halt the creation and production of its Famvir herpes treatment. Novartis was denied the injunction but was granted one by the U.S. District Court of Appeals a few days later.