Drugmaker loses bid to derail landmark trial

AstraZeneca and Ranbaxy Laboratories failed to derail a landmark trial in the US accusing the companies of colluding to delay the release of a cheaper version of the top-selling heartburn pill Nexium.

US District Judge William Young, in Boston, denied a bid by the UK drugmaker and by the Indian generics manufacturer to end the jury trial early.

The companies had argued that the plaintiffs failed to provide enough evidence that AstraZeneca illegally paid Ranbaxy to keep the lower- cost alternative off the market.