LipitorCare News » July 07

Pfizer wins Lipitor patent case in Ireland
9 July, 2007

Pfizer Inc. said Tuesday that it won a patent case in Ireland that will prevent generic drugmaker Ranbaxy from launching its own version of Pfizer's blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor.

The ruling, by Dublin's High Court, means Ranbaxy cannot release its generic version until the basic Lipitor patent expires in November 2011.

"Today's decision is yet another affirmation of the strength of the intellectual property behind Lipitor," said Pfizer General Counsel Allan Waxman in a statement.

The ruling is the latest in Pfizer's ongoing battle to keep Lipitor patent-protected. Analysts have been skeptical that the Manhattan-based drugmaker will be able to generate enough sales from Lipitor and other key drugs to offset the billions being lost to generic competition as patents expire.

Earlier this year, an appeals court invalidated Pfizer's patent for high blood pressure drug Norvasc, allowing drug maker Mylan Laboraties Inc. to begin selling a generic version. Generic Norvasc sales cut into about a week of Pfizer's sales for the first quarter. Pfizer's own Norvasc sales dropped 10% to $1.07 billion during the first three months of the year.

In May, Gurgaon, India-based Ranbaxy won an appeal from the Borgarting Court in Oslo, Norway, that overturned a decision on a patent protecting atorvastatin calcium -- Lipitor's active ingredient. Pfizer said in May it plans to appeal that ruling.

Losing patent protection on Lipitor would be a major blow to Pfizer, which earlier this year said it planned to cut 10,000 jobs, or 10% of its workforce. Lipitor generated sales of $12.89 billion in 2006 and in March, the drug was approved for use during heart surgery and to help cut the risk of nonfatal heart attacks, fatal and nonfatal strokes. Pfizer's total revenue last year topped $48 million.

In April, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers inked a partnership to develop and market a drug for stroke prevention and other conditions.

Source: Newyorkbusiness