Actavis reports that the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit granted the company’s motion to expedite its appeal of a lower court ruling requiring Actavis to continue distribution of Namenda (memantine HCl) immediate-release tablets, a drug indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. The company’s motion asked the court to expedite the briefing of the case so that the court could issue its decision by February 16, 2015. The court denied the company’s request for a stay of the lower court ruling while the appeal is ongoing.

On Monday, December 15, Judge Robert Sweet of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction requiring Actavis to continue distribution of Namenda immediate-release tablets. Actavis is seeking to end distribution of the immediate-release version of the drug for an extended-release version, Namenda XR (memantine HCl), a higher dose, once-daily formulation of Namenda immediate release indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type

Actavis reiterated that the district court ruling will have no impact on its ability to continue focusing its resources on transitioning patients to the once-daily Namenda XR, and that the company is prepared to manage its business in a way that provides the least disruption in its ability to support the marketplace and minimize any financial impact.

Source: Actavis