Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Endo and Penwest Receive New Paragraph IV Certification Notice From Impax for Opana ER

CHADDS FORD, PA and DANBURY, CT, Dec 17, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP) and Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co. (NASDAQ: PPCO) announced today that on December 14, 2007, they received a notice from IMPAX Laboratories, Inc. advising of the FDA's acceptance for substantive review, as of November 23, 2007, of IMPAX's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) containing a new Paragraph IV certification under 21 U.S.C. Section 355(j) for oxymorphone hydrochloride extended-release tablets CII. IMPAX stated in its letter that the FDA requested IMPAX to provide notification to Endo and Penwest of this certification. This Paragraph IV certification notice refers to Penwest's U.S. Patent Nos. 7,276,250, 5,958,456 and 5,662,933, which cover the formulation of OPANA(R) ER. These patents are listed in the FDA's Orange Book and expire in 2022, 2013 and 2013, respectively. In addition to these patents, OPANA ER has a new dosage form (NDA) exclusivity that prevents final approval of any ANDA by the FDA until the exclusivity expires on June 22, 2009.

Endo and Penwest are currently reviewing the details of this new notice from IMPAX and will continue to pursue all available legal and regulatory avenues in defense of OPANA ER, including enforcement of their intellectual property rights and approved labeling.

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