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news.Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk has launched legal action against Pfizer claiming that the latter's inhaled insulin product Exubera infringes its patents.
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Exubera, co-developed by Pfizer and Nektar Therapeutics, is approved for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It represents an advance in the treatment of the disorder as it potentially circumvents the need for intravenous injections.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States Federal Court in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Pfizer willfully infringed the patents and seeks compensatory damages.
Novo Nordisk also said that it was seeking a preliminary injunction which, if granted, would be likely to delay Pfizer’s planned September launch of the product.
“The patents we are asserting are for groundbreaking research on new approaches to treat diabetes,” said Jim Shehan, vice president and general counsel of Novo Nordisk. “As all research-based companies recognize, patent protection is necessary to safeguard the investment that biomedical research requires.”