Barr says U.S. to reissue patent on contraceptive

NEW YORK, April 9 (Reuters) - Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s BRL.N application for a patent for its Seasonale oral contraceptive to be reissued has satisfied requirements and U.S. patent officials will reissue the patent "in the future," the company said on Monday.

"The reissued patent confirms our position that we have the exclusive right to market Seasonale," Barr CEO Bruce Downey said in a statement.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has not provided a time frame for reissuing the patent, Barr said.

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. (WPI.N) launched a generic version of Seasonale last fall.

((Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf, editing by Gerald E. McCormick; Reuters Messaging: Lewis.Krauskopf.reuters.com@reuters.net; lewis.krauskopf@reuters.com; 646-223-6082)) Keywords: BARR SEASONALE/

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