Sanofi-Aventis sues Apotex for patent infringement

NEW YORK Sanofi-Aventis alleges that Canadian drug maker Apotex infringed on two of its United States patents for one of its drugs, according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Wilmington, Del., Friday.

The suit concerns the injected cancer drug docetaxel, which Sanofi-Aventis markets under the brand name Taxotere. Sanofi-Aventis says Apotex has violated the patents by planning to sell a generic version of a drug before their 2012 expiration.

Taxotere had sales of $750.3 million euros in the second quarter of this year, according to Bloomberg.