The appellate court issued an order prohibiting regulatory approval of Ranbaxy’s product in Canada until Pfizer’s enantiomer (calcium salt) patent expires in July 2010. Ranbaxy may seek a review of the decision by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Peter Richardson, senior vice president of Pfizer, said: “This decision sends a strong signal about the importance of protecting intellectual property in Canada, which provides the incentive for research-driven pharmaceutical companies to make the significant high-risk investments necessary to develop new life-saving medicines.”