Lawyer says Actavis owes no apology for seeking profits with new Alzheimer's drug

A lawyer for the Irish manufacturer of an Alzheimer's drug is urging a U.S. appeals court to let it replace a two-pill daily regimen with a single-dose drug even if it cheats generic drugmakers of profits.

Attorney Lisa Blatt says Dublin-based Actavis PLC makes no apologies for maximizing profits. She urged a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday to reverse a judge who ordered the company to continue distributing the drug Namenda after a generic alternative becomes available July 11. She says the new version of the drug is innovative.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (SHNEYE'-dur-muhn) had sued the company, saying it violated anti-trust and state laws by trying to block competition.

About a half-million patients nationwide rely on the drug.