(Reuters) - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Len Schliefer on Monday ripped into Amgen Inc for its insistence on blocking sales of a rival Regeneron cholesterol drug while the appeals process in a patent infringement case plays out.

A federal judge last week handed Regeneron and its partner Sanofi a stunning setback by banning sales of their LDL-lowering medicine Praluent, finding it infringed patents held by Amgen on its Repatha cholesterol drug.

Regeneron and Sanofi were given 30 days before the ban takes effect to give them time to appeal. That was extended to 45 days on Monday.

Speaking at the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Schliefer said Amgen had refused a request to delay any ban of Praluent sales until the appeal is heard, even though the judge in her ruling had said competition among the two drugs was in the public interest.

"If they really cared about patients they wouldn't rip this drug from patients," the outspoken Schliefer said.