Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd., et al., Petitioners v. Novo Nordisk A/s et al.
Decided April 17, 2012. Elena Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 10-844 · 566 U.S. 399 (2012) · Cited 209 times
Holding
A generic manufacturer may employ the counterclaim provision to force correction of a use code that inaccurately describes the brand’s patent as covering a particular method of using a drug.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 8
- Elena Kagan · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas
- John Glover Roberts Jr.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
Concurring · 1
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed a concurring opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Eli Lilly & Co. v. Medtronic, Inc. · 496 U.S. 661 (1990)
- Ardestani v. Immigration & Naturalization Service · 502 U.S. 129 (1991)
- Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers · 531 U.S. 159 (2001)
- United States v. Ron Pair Enterprises, Inc. · 489 U.S. 235 (1989)
- Robinson v. Shell Oil Co. · 519 U.S. 337 (1997)
- Stern v. Marshall · 564 U.S. 462 (2011)
- TRW Inc. v. Andrews · 534 U.S. 19 (2001)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Smith v. United States · 507 U.S. 197 (1993)
- Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc. · 562 U.S. 397 (2011)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- F.T.C. v. Actavis, Inc. · 570 U.S. 136 (2013)
- Republic of Sudan v. Harrison · 587 U.S. 1 (2019)
- Descamps v. United States · 570 U.S. 254 (2013)
- Monsalvo Velazquez v. Bondi · 604 U.S. 712 (2025)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
Explore from here
Elena Kagan’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2012). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).