• The company said its launch of an authorize generic version of the drug would prompt other firms to introduce their own cheaper versions
• The announcement comes in backdrop of a court ruling that allowed its rivals to sell generic versions of the drug

British pharmaceutical firm Indivior Plc has reportedly introduced a generic version of its highly-successful opioid addiction drug Suboxone in the U.S. As per trusted sources, the announcement comes in backdrop of a court ruling that allowed its rivals to sell generic versions of the drug.

Reportedly, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for a cheaper version of the drug marketed by India-headquartered generic drug maker Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. According to a report published by Business Standard, Indivior has spent more than two years in fighting court battles and patent lawsuits in the United States with firms including Mylan, Teva, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to prevent them from introducing generic version of its drugs.

Indivior has reportedly stated that the launch of an authorized generic drug may prompt other firms to introduce their own cheaper versions of the drug. The British drug maker had said in December last year that it was contemplating to launch a cheaper version of Suboxone under its multi-phase contingency strategy to reduce market share losses owing to its generic rivals. If reports are to be believed, Indivior is slated to garner tens of millions of dollars from its generic drug.

Sources familiar with the development claim that launching generic versions of one’s own drugs is quite rare. The U.S. pharmaceutical firm Mylan NV launched its first generic version of allergy auto-injector EpiPen in 2016 following a backlash over the price of the drug.

Indivior’s shares have fallen almost 80% since the generics of Mylan and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories were first approved by U.S. regulators in June 2018.