Tokyo-based drugmaker Eisai says the FDA owes it some extra patent time on weight-loss treatment Belviq and on epilepsy treatment Fycompa. Both drugs are classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency as controlled substances. While both were approved by the FDA, Eisai was unable to market either product until they were properly scheduled. Eisai claims it’s entitled to one year of extra time on Belviq’s patent and seven months on Fycompa’s. The drugmaker made the claims in a lawsuit filed against the FDA in a bid to extend their market exclusivity.
Eisai sues FDA for more patent life
The Japanese drugmaker is looking to add as much as a year onto the patent life of some of its drugs after the DEA dragged out their scheduling decisions.