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October 7, 2008 10:47:29 PM CDT

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Stocks Tumble as Bayer Loses Patent for Contraceptive

Posted Mar 5, 08 4:27 AM CST in Science & Health,  Business 

(Newser) – Bayer shares tumbled to a 12-month low yesterday after a US judge ended the pharmaceutical giant's patent on Yasmin, the company’s top-selling birth control pill. The ruling means rival Barr Pharmaceuticals may introduce a lower-priced generic version of Yasmin in the next few months, Bloomberg reports. 

Sales of Yasmin generated $490 million for Bayer in the US last year, and the drug and related contraceptives accounted for the biggest chunk of  Bayer’s pharmaceutical revenue. American sales of Yasmin could fall by up to 50% in the first year after the launch of a generic version, said one analyst. Bayer, Germany’s largest pharmaceutical firm, may appeal the judge’s ruling.

Sources Financial Times (UK), Bloomberg

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Gerd Feger picks up samples of Alka Seltzer pills in the pharmaceutical plant of the Bayer company in Bitterfeld, eastern Germany, in this Aug. 15, 2007 file photo. Bayer AG said Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008,...   (Associated Press)
Flags with the company's logo flutter in front of the pharmaceutical plant of the Bayer company in Bitterfeld, eastern Germany, in a Aug. 15, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz)   (Associated Press)
CEO of chemical giant Bayer AG, Werner Wenning, smiles prior to the annual balance news conference held at the company's headquarters in Leverkusen, western Germany, in this March 15, 2007 file photo....   (Associated Press)
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birth control  • birth control pill  • patent  • generic drugs  • Bayer


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