NEW YORK, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pfizer Inc said today that
it will appeal a decision by the Canadian Federal Court in Toronto denying
its application to block approval of a generic version of Lipitor by
Ranbaxy. The ruling involves a patent (Canadian Patent No. 2,021,546)
covering the calcium salt of atorvastatin, the active ingredient in
Lipitor, which expires in July 2010.
The ruling on the calcium salt patent has no immediate commercial
impact because Ranbaxy is subject to other pending patent litigation with
Pfizer. The decision, based on Canadian law, is not relevant to patent
cases involving Lipitor in other jurisdictions, including the U.S.
"This decision presents clear and substantive issues for appeal and we
will begin that process immediately in an effort to sustain Lipitor's
exclusivity through July 2010," said Pfizer General Counsel Allen Waxman.
Separately, the court ruled that Pfizer's basic patent covering
atorvastatin (Canadian patent No. 1,268,768) -- which expires in May 2007
-- would be infringed by Ranbaxy.
SOURCE Pfizer Inc
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CONTACT:
Bryant Haskins for Pfizer Inc,
+1-212-733-8719
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