Horizon Pharma Announces Receipt of Two Additional U.S. Patent Allowances for DUEXIS

Horizon Pharma HZNP, announced today that it has received Notices of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/403,930 and U.S. Application Serial No. 13/403,923 both entitled "Stable Compositions of Famotidine and Ibuprofen" with claims that cover DUEXIS® (ibuprofen and famotidine) tablets. DUEXIS is indicated for the relief of signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and to decrease the risk of developing upper gastrointestinal ulcers. The Notices of Allowance conclude the substantive examination of these patent applications and will result in the issuance of U.S. patents after administrative processes are completed. The patents scheduled to issue from these applications will expire in 2028 for the U.S. patents. After issuance, Horizon plans to list the U.S. patents in the FDA's Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, or Orange Book. "These recent Notices of Allowance in the U.S. represent an important expansion of the patent estate for DUEXIS," said Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Horizon Pharma. "Horizon's goal is to protect the commercial potential of DUEXIS to 2028 and these Notices of Allowance are a significant step toward achieving this goal."