U.S. top court rejects hepatitis B drug patent case

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday brought to an end Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's attempt to revive patent protection for its Baraclude treatment for hepatitis B. The high court declined to hear Bristol-Myers' challenge to an appeals court ruling in favor of generic rival Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, which had successfully challenged the patent. In a June 2014 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a federal district court's finding that the patent was invalid. Teva announced last September that it was launching its generic version of the drug. The case is Bristol-Myers v. Teva, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 14-886. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)