AstraZeneca has won its fight to prevent Handa Pharmaceuticals from selling a generic version of its anti-psychotic drug Seroquel XR in the US until late 2016.
Shares in the British drug manufacturer were up 0.6% by 0855 GMT on Friday, on news it had reached a patent settlement.
The news does not resolve patent battles with other generic drug manufacturer, but because Handa was the first generics company to file for approval of its version of the drug, the settlement could block other copies out of the US until Handa launches, reports Reuters.
AstraZeneca has also said that technologies to extend the time the medicine remains in the bloodstream will also protect Seroquel XR from 2012 to November 2017.
Seroquel XR is an extended-release oral drug approved for the treatment of schizophrenia.
