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news.Pfizer said today that an adverse Norwegian court decision has "no practical effect" on the company's ability to protect Lipitor, the world's biggest selling drug, from the launch of a generic version of the product by Ranbaxy.
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A Norwegian court ruled in Ranbaxy’s favor in a case involving two patents on Lipitor in Norway. However, as Pfizer points out, Ranbaxy is still unable to produce the drug in Norway because a key patent remains intact.
“While we plan to appeal this decision, it’s important to understand that Lipitor continues to be protected from generic competition in Norway through February 2009,” said Peter Richardson, Pfizer’s senior vice president, associate general counsel and chief of intellectual property. “In other major European markets Lipitor is protected by basic patents expiring in 2011.”
Pfizer’s 706 patent, which was upheld in Norway last year as valid and infringed by Ranbaxy, remains in effect until February 2009. Ranbaxy’s appeal of that decision is scheduled to be heard next March.