NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pfizer Inc said today that
the District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands has ruled that the basic
patent covering atorvastatin -- the active ingredient in Lipitor -- would
be infringed by a competitor product from generics manufacturer Ranbaxy.
The decision, which is subject to appeal, prevents Ranbaxy from launching
its drug before Lipitor's basic patent (EP 247,633) expires in November
2011.
"Today's decision is another affirmation of the strength of the
intellectual property behind Lipitor, one of the most important medical
breakthroughs of our era," said Pfizer General Counsel Allen Waxman. "The
court's ruling reinforces the fundamental principle that patent laws exist
to support and encourage medical innovators, not undermine them."
Ranbaxy also had challenged a second patent covering the calcium salt
of atorvastatin (EP 409,281). The court ruled that the patent, which
expires in July 2010, is invalid. Pfizer said that, while it plans to
appeal the ruling, it will have no practical effect on the patent life of
Lipitor in the Netherlands because the basic patent will remain in effect
beyond the expiration of the calcium salt patent.
The decisions by the Dutch court do not affect challenges to Lipitor
patents pending in other countries, including the United States. Pfizer
said it will continue to aggressively defend its patents against
infringement.
SOURCE Pfizer Inc
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