Teva and Merck Settle Cholesterol Drugs Dispute

Teva has reached a compromise with Merck and will not sell cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia until 2017.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. signed a compromise agreement lat Friday with Merck & Co. Inc. to settle their dispute over two cholesterol drugs.

Under the terms of the agreement which was filed in a federal court in Newark, New Jersey, Teva will not sell cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia until 2017. Zetia had annual sales of $2.3 billion in 2010, and Vytorin had annual sales of $2 billion.

Teva committed not to sell the cholesterol drugs before April 25 2017. The compromise ends two patent lawsuits bought by Merck against Teva in 2009 and 2010, to prevent marketing of generic versions of the drugs.