Bayer sues India's Cipla over generic cancer drug

FRANKFURT, Feb 11 - German drugmaker Bayer has taken generics supplier Cipla to court for seeking approval for a copycat version of Bayer's cancer drug Nexavar in India, Bayer said on Wednesday.

Previous hearings in the case, which was filed in November in New Delhi have been inconclusive and the next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 18 and 19, a Bayer spokeswoman told Reuters.

Bayer last year was granted patent protection for Nexavar, scientifically known as sorafenib, in India through 2020.

The case could serve as a precedent for how intellectual property rights will be weighed against making potentially life-saving drugs more cheaply available on the subcontinent.

Bayer has described Nexavar, currently cleared for fighting tumours of the kidney and the liver, as one of its most promising drugs, foreseeing up to 2 billion euros ($2.59 billion) in annual sales.

That figure is only matched by projections for its blood thinner Xarelto.