Astellas wins Flomax patent suit against Ranbaxy

TOKYO, Feb 23 (Reuters) Japan's Astellas Pharma Inc said on Friday it had won a suit against Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd to prevent the Indian drug maker from releasing an early generic version of its Flomax prostate drug.

Astellas, Japan's third-largest drug maker and Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, which jointly market the drug in the United States, had filed the suit at the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.

The U.S. patent on Flomax, used to treat enlarged prostates, expires in Oct. 2009.

REUTERS KR PM1539