India court declines Roche bid to stay copycat drug

NEW DELHI, March 19 (Reuters) - An Indian court on Wednesday declined to restrain Indian drug maker Cipla (CIPL.BO) from selling a cheaper generic version of Swiss Roche's (ROG.VX) lung cancer drug Tarceva, an official of the Indian firm said.

"Roche had applied for a stay. This is an interim order for not granting the stay," Amar Lulla, a joint managing director at Cipla, told Reuters after a Delhi High Court verdict.

Lulla said Cipla was selling the generic erlotinib at one third of the price charged by the Swiss firm. (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)