Impax, Teva reach settlement with J&J over ADHD drug

Sept 14 (Reuters) - Impax Laboratories Inc and Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd settled a two-year patent dispute with Johnson & Johnson, allowing the generic drugmakers to start selling a copy of Johnson & Johnson's ADHD drug from July 14, 2013.

In 2010, J&J unit Alza filed a lawsuit to block Impax from launching a copy of Alza's Concerta extended-release tablets that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

According to Wolters Kluwer Health, U.S. brand and generic sales of Concerta were about $1.2 billion for the 12 months ended July 2012, Impax said in a statement.

The Concerta products are part of Impax's 2001 strategic alliance agreement with Teva. Teva has already filed with U.S. regulators to get approval for a generic version of the drug.

Under the settlement, Alza has agreed to give Impax and Teva a license to sell generic versions of Concerta on July 14, 2013, or earlier under certain circumstances, Impax said.