默克恢复福善美欧洲专利

　　Merck, the US drugmaker, yesterday marked a victoryagainstgeneric drugmakers with the unusual reinstatement of acriticalEuropean patent for its third-biggest drug Fosamax, anosteoporosismedicine.

　　The reinstatement by the European Patent Office of the patentforthe once-weekly Fosamax treatment, the most popular dosingform,could trigger lawsuits by Merck against numerous genericcompaniesselling the product.

　　It could also prompt delicate negotiations between MerckandEuropean government healthcare authorities, which are theprimarypurchaser of drugs.

　　美国制药商默克公司昨日恢复了其第三大药品、骨质疏松症治疗药物福善美(Fosamax)一项关键的欧洲专利，这标志着该公司对非专利药制造商的胜利。

　　欧洲专利局恢复福善美专利，可能引发默克针对出售这种药品的众多非专利药制造商提起诉讼。福善美的服用剂量为每周一次，是一种最受欢迎的剂型药。

　　此举还可能促使该公司与欧洲政府医疗机构展开微妙谈判，这些机构是各类药品的主要采购方。

　　作者：董莉