Lilly fends off Cialis generics with new patent settlement

Fierce Pharma ------- Under a new patent settlement with multiple generics makers, Eli Lilly’s storied erectile dysfunction med Cialis will keep exclusive protections a little while longer. Cialis has generated more than $17 billion in sales during its patent life, which now extends at least through Sept. 27, 2018. Lilly reached the settlement with generic drugmakers over a dispute on a unit dose patent set to expire in 2020. After its initial approval in 2003, Cialis’ exclusivity had been expected to end in November, just a month before Pfizer’s rival med Viagra. With the new agreement, Lilly can work to squeeze more branded sales out of a med that’s been an important contributor over the years. Last year, the drug turned in $1.469 billion in U.S. sales, or 7% of the drugmaker’s global haul. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.