HYDERABAD: Danish pharma company Lundbeck, innovator of anti-depressant blockbuster drug Citalopram, has withdrawn patent infringement cases against Ratiopharm and Destin Pharma, the generic customers of Matrix Laboratories, in European courts. Ratiopharm and Destin Pharma are among the major generic customers of Matrix Labs for Citalopram active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). This is expected to result in a significant increase in Citalopram exports to European markets by Matrix, the company said in a press release. Citalopram has contributed about 50% to the company's sales in the last fiscal and 36% in the current fiscal. This is a third major victory for Matrix's Citalopram customers in Europe. The first being the withdrawal of patent infringement litigation against Lagap Pharmaceuticals, a generic arm of Novartis, by Lundbeck in London court in October last year, it said.

Matrix witnessed the second round of victory on January 26, Œ04 when the European generic companies, using Matrix Laboratories API, won patent-related case against Lundbeck in Denmark.

Matrix plans to commence exports of Citalopram API to the US market by June Œ04. The company has filed the DMF with USFDA for Citalopram bulk active. Several generic players likely to launch Citalopram in the US have filed Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) based on Matrix's DMF, the release added.