NEW YORK, April 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pfizer said today that an
Austrian appeals court ruling on the enantiomer patent for Lipitor applies
only to Austria and is not relevant to patent litigation between Ranbaxy
and Pfizer in any other jurisdiction.
Pfizer holds other patents for Lipitor in Austria, including its basic
patent that does not expire until 2011. These patents are not affected by
the court's decision.
The court ruling upheld a decision by the Austrian Patent Office to
invalidate the product claims of Pfizer's enantiomer patent covering
atorvastatin calcium, the active ingredient in Lipitor. The patent had been
challenged by Ranbaxy, a generics company based in India.
Pfizer won Lipitor patent challenges over Ranbaxy in 2005 in the United
States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Romania and Peru. A number of these
decisions are being appealed by Ranbaxy.
Pfizer will continue to vigorously contest challenges to its Lipitor
patent around the world and to defend any and all patent challenges that
seek to undermine Pfizer's mission of creating value for patients and
investors through biomedical innovation.
SOURCE Pfizer Inc
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CONTACT:
Bryant Haskins of Pfizer Inc, +1-212-733-8719
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