Sept 15 (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceuticals can pursue most

of its lawsuit accusing rival drugmaker Corcept Therapeutics ( CORT ) of

monopolizing the market for the mifepristone-based drug Korlym

to treat the hormonal disorder Cushing's syndrome, a U.S. judge

has ruled.

In a ruling on Friday, U.S. District Judge Noël Wise in San

Francisco said Teva had presented enough information for now to

press ahead with claims that Corcept and specialty pharmacy

Optime Care, the sole distributor of Korlym, violated antitrust

law.

Teva's lawsuit, filed last year, alleged that Corcept

stifled competition "at every turn" through exclusive agreements

that suppressed Teva's generic version of Korlym. Teva also

accused Corcept of "paying bribes and kickbacks" to physicians

to keep them prescribing Korlym.

Corcept, Teva and a lawyer for Optime did not immediately

respond to requests for comment.

Corcept and Optime have denied any wrongdoing.

Mifepristone is best known for its use to terminate unwanted

pregnancies, which was a subject of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling

last year that rejected a challenge to the drug's use for

abortions.

In Korlym, the drug is used to treat Cushing's syndrome, a

rare disorder caused by too much of the hormone cortisol in the

body. The syndrome affects about 20,000 people in the United

States and can be fatal, Teva's lawsuit said.

Corcept and Optime have a long-term exclusive-dealing

arrangement that bars Optime from distributing any medication

that competes with Korlym, the lawsuit said. Teva said it

launched a less expensive generic version of Korlym, but "during

that time Teva has captured close to zero market share."

Corcept, in its bid to dismiss the case, said Teva was

"unhappy with its product's weak performance" and pursuing a

"sour grapes lawsuit."

Optime said in a court filing that "Teva's claims against

Optime are not merely implausible, they are entirely fanciful."

The judge dismissed some state law claims and a claim of

unjust enrichment from Teva's lawsuit. The ruling said Teva can

file an amended complaint.

The case is Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Corcept

Therapeutics Inc. ( CORT ) et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District

of California, No. 5:24-cv-03567-NW.

For Teva: Devora Allon, Kevin Neylan Jr and Michael Shipley

of Kirkland & Ellis

For Corcept: Robert Stone, Adam Wolfson and Steig Olson of

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

For Optime: Justin Fields and Lucas Wohlford of Duane Morris