Depomed Inc. said a ruling Tuesday preserves its monopoly on the pain drug Gralise for a decade, allowing the small pharmaceutical company and its investors to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

According to a Depomed press release, U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano in Newark, N.J., upheld the validity of all seven of Depomed’s patents relating to Gralise, the company’s best-selling drug. The ruling, which followed a bench trial earlier this year, was still under seal at press time.