According to Reuters, the FDA cleared an application from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to sell a generic copycat of the oral drug known as escitalopram.
In a court battle, Forest Labs has argued that it retains exclusive rights on the drug through March 2012 and has sued Teva for infringement. Teva, however, claims the patent is invalid.
Danish pharmaceutical group Lundbeck receives royalties on U.S. sales of Lexapro - whose sales were $464 million in the most recent quarter.
