Endo grants Watson royalty-free license to U.S. patents

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI) today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc. has reached a settlement with Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on outstanding patent litigation related to Endo's Opana® ER (Oxymorphone ER) product.  Endo filed its lawsuit on March 4, 2010, following Watson's filing of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for seeking approval to market its product in the 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 mg dosage strengths.

Under terms of the settlement agreement, Endo has granted Watson a royalty-free license to U.S. patents covering Opana® ER.  Watson will have the right to launch its generic equivalent version of the product on September 15, 2012, or earlier under certain circumstances.  Other details of the settlement were not disclosed.