The stay in the Xifaxan litigation between Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) and Teva (TEVA) was recently extended to July 30, 2018 from April 30, 2018, and may be extended further, Deutsche Bank analyst Gregg Gilbert tells investors in an intraday research note.

According to the court docket, the companies agreed to extend the stay "because the facts and circumstances that warranted a stay as of May 15, 2017, have not materially changed," Gilbert adds. He previously modeled Xifaxan exclusivity through 2024, but pushed that out one more year saying Teva "does not yet appear to have clarity on the path forward for its generic filing." The exclusivity extension to 2025 on Valeant's largest product pushes the analyst's price target for the shares to $22 from $20. The stock in midday trading is up 19c to $18.26. Gilbert looks forward to an update from Teva when the company reports on May 3 and continues to like the risk/reward for Valeant.

He keeps a Buy rating on the shares.