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news.Canada's Federal Court of Appeal has upheld Pfizer's Celebrex patents after reversing a lower court ruling that would have permitted generic manufacturer Novopharm to launch a competitor product.
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The appellate court issued an order prohibiting regulatory approval of Novopharm's product in Canada until Celebrex's compound patent expires in November 2014.
Pfizer's general counsel, Allen Waxman, said: “Today's ruling is an important one not only for Pfizer, but also for patients in Canada and elsewhere. Without appropriate protection of intellectual property, Pfizer and other research-based pharmaceutical companies would not be able to make the tremendous investments required to develop new, life-saving medicines that are so critical to public health.”
Novopharm may seek to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.