Astrazeneca Files Lawsuit Against Lek Pharmaceutical And Chemical Company D.d.

ASTRAZENECA FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST LEK PHARMACEUTICAL AND CHEMICAL COMPANY D.D. AstraZeneca today announced that it has filed a lawsuit in New York against LEK Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company d.d. (LEK) and its US subsidiary, LEK USA, Inc. for patent infringement. The lawsuit is the result of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) filed by LEK with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning its intent to market a generic omeprazole product in the US. The antisecretory drug omeprazole is marketed in the US by AstraZeneca, L.P. under the brand ® ® name Prilosec and is marketed internationally by AstraZeneca as Losec . The basis for AstraZeneca's complaint is that the action by LEK infringes several patents relating to Prilosec®, which provide protection to the year 2014. These patents include coverage for formulations and for methods ® of using Prilosec . The substance patent, which expires in 2001, has not been challenged by LEK. AstraZeneca intends to fully enforce its patent rights and is steadfast in its belief that all of the patents are valid. Further enquires to: Staffan Ternby, +46 8 553 261 07 Steve Brown, tel +44 (0)20 7304 5033 Lucy Williams, tel +44 (0)20 7304 5034 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/06/21/20000621BIT00300/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/06/21/20000621BIT00300/bit0002.pdf