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news.A US federal court has upheld the exclusivity of two patents covering atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Pfizer's blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor, thereby prohibiting generic competition until June 2011.
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The court ruled in Pfizer’s favor in a lawsuit brought by the pharmaceutical giant against the generic manufacturer Ranbaxy.
As a result of the decision, Pfizer will be entitled to a permanent injunction prohibiting Ranbaxy from obtaining approval for or marketing its generic version of atorvastatin until 2011. Ranbaxy said that it plans to launch an appeal against the decision immediately.
The US decision marks Pfizer’s second major victory over Ranbaxy, which is using legal challenges in an attempt to overturn Pfizer’s atorvastatin patents in the US and many other markets.
On October 12, the UK’s High Court of Justice upheld the exclusivity of the basic patent covering atorvastatin, which will prevent Ranbaxy from introducing a generic version of atorvastatin in the UK until the patent expires in November 2011.
Indeed, this latest legal victory has given a boost to pharmaceutical companies around the world, many of whom saw their share prices rise following the decision. Generic drug manufacturers have become more agressive in recent years, yet Pfizer’s legal victory could help strengthen pharmaceutical companies’ exclusive rights to make drugs they develop.
“Together with last month’s decision by the UK’s High Court of Justice, we have now successfully defended our Lipitor patent rights in two important jurisdictions,” said Pfizer chairman and CEO Hank McKinnell.