Bristol, Sanofi Win OK for Added Use of Plavix

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi-Aventis won U.S. regulatory approval for the use of their blood thinner Plavix after severe heart attacks.

The benefit to the drug makers may be limited because Apotex Inc. last week started marketing a cheaper copy of Plavix, the world’s second-biggest-selling drug behind Pfizer Inc.’s Lipitor cholesterol pill. A U.S. court today will hear Sanofi and Bristol-Myers’ request to bar Apotex’s product. At stake is $6.3 billion in annual revenue.