-- The NEW Official Alizyme Thread! --

Judge rules for Pfizer in Lipitor case
By Gabriel Madway, MarketWatch
Last Update: 7:27 PM ET Dec. 16, 2005


SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A federal judge on Friday ruled for Pfizer Inc. in its patent dispute with Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. over Lipitor, the world's top-selling prescription medication.
Judge Joseph J. Farnan of the U. S. District Court for the District of Delaware upheld the exclusivity of two Pfizer patents covering atorvastatin, the active ingredient in the cholesterol-lowering drug.

FinancialsMore PFEPFE22.58, -0.21, -0.9%) said the decision means it will be entitled to a permanent injunction prohibiting Ranbaxy (RBXLF: ranbaxy
FinancialsMore RBXLFRBXLF0.00, 0.00, 0.0%) from obtaining approval for or marketing its generic version of Lipitor until 2011.

Ranbaxy said it plans to appeal the ruling.

"Today marks a major victory for medical innovators and the patients who depend on them for important new therapies," said Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Hank McKinnell in a statement.

In October, a British court also upheld Pfizer's patent on atorvastatin. See full story.

Lipitor was introduced in the U.S. in 1997. According to New York-based Pfizer, more than 18 million people in the U.S. have been prescribed Lipitor, which had sales of about $12 billion in 2004, according to IMS Health.

Pfizer shares fell 21 cents to close at $22.58 on Friday. In after hours action, Pfizer was up over 10% in active trading.