Cephalon, Barr Settle Fentora Dispute

Cephalon Inc. will give Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. a license to sell a generic version of the pain drug Fentora in 2018 as part of a patent lawsuit settlement, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.

In the filing, Cephalon said it will give Barr a non-exclusive, royalty-free right to sell a generic version of Fentora in October of 2018. Cephalon said the patent is not set to expire until 2019.

Barr is now part of Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

The deal doesn't affect the status of the separate Fentora patent lawsuits with Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its units.

If another generic version of Fentora reaches the U.S. market before October of 2018, Barr is allowed to launch its version.

Shares of Cephalon, which is headquartered in Frazer, Pa., fell $1.09 to close at $58.84.

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