41.   Its leading ulcer drug Prilosec could face generic competition as early as this spring if AstraZeneca loses a patent dispute court case in New York.

42.   Prozac could have generic competition by the end of the week.

43.   Shire said generic competition, which has arrived four months ahead of expectations from Barr Laboratories Inc., is likely to dent sales.

44.   The company hopes these new products will help insulate it from the impact of generic competition as some of its current drug patents expire.

45.   The company said Thursday it also enjoyed strong sales of its diabetes treatment Avandia, which helped offset the impact of generic competition for its ulcer drug Zantac.

46.   The group on Wednesday joined three lawsuits filed last year against six drug companies, alleging patent abuse, suppression of generic competition and collusion with generic manufacturers.

47.   Unless Lilly succeeds in a planned appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the first generic competition, from Barr Laboratories, should hit the U.S. market next month.

48.   When patents expire, sales of name brand drugs drop significantly because of generic competition.

49.   Scheuble attributed the anticipated slowdown to overall economic climate and potential generic competition in the US to its main drug, the diabetes treatment Glucophage.

50.   The German drug maker said it would not be able to gauge the full impact of generic competition for Glucophage until the end of the second quarter.