Novartis sues Baxter over supply of dog medicine

Swiss drug maker Novartis has sued a Baxter International Inc. unit, claiming that it is cutting off supplies of the only drug approved to treat canine Addison’s disease, a sometimes fatal glandular disorder in dogs.

Novartis Animal Health US Inc., based in Greensboro, N.C., said in a complaint on Friday in Wilmington, Del., that Baxter abruptly ended a 10-year agreement to produce the drug Percorten-V. Baxter intends to provide just four batches next year instead of 31 promised, the complaint said.

Baxter, based in Deerfield, Ill., is overcommitted to serving other customers, the complaint said. If the drug is unavailable, “thousands of dogs in the U.S. and Canada will die,” the complaint said.

Baxter said it was trying to resolve the issue with Novartis.