A U.S. judge granted a request from Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) and Bristol-Myers Sqibb Co. (BMY) to block the sale of a generic form of their top-selling Plavix blood thinner, although he denied a motion seeking a recall of the generic product.
Canadian drug maker Apotex launched the generic drug Aug. 8, far sooner than analysts had expected and after a settlement deal with Bristol-Myers/Sanofi that would have delayed generics until 2011 fell through.
Sales of the generic, known chemically as clopidogrel, have posed a serious threat to Bristol-Myers' earnings and its ability to keep paying a hefty dividend to shareholders.
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