Watson Pharmaceuticals said Thursday that it has filed one FDA application to market its generic cast of the period-free oral contraceptive Lybrel, Reuters reports. However, the pharmaceutical company Wyeth, which produces Lybrel, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the application, according to Watson (Reuters, 3/13). Watson is seeking to sell a generic version of Lybrel in the U.S. before Wyeth’s patent expires (Clark, Dow Jones, 3/13).
Lybrel, which contains a lower dose of synthetic hormones in a daily dose than traditional oral contraceptives, is taken 365 days a year with no placebo pills. The most common regimen for oral contraceptives is 21 active pills taken consecutively, followed by means of seven placebo pills (Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, 8/1/07).
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