Ranbaxy gets a jolt in Pfizer row

Pfizer's global battle against Ranbaxy to protect the patent rights of its blockbuster drug Lipitor has taken a fresh turn with the Dublin High Court giving a ruling in favour of Pfizer, stating that Ranbaxy's generic atorvastatin will be infringing on Pfizer's patent rights.

The decision prevents Ranbaxy from launching its drug before the basic Lipitor patent expires in November 2011 in Ireland, a $20 million market for Lipitor.

"We are confident of our position and will file a timely appeal against the court ruling," a Ranbaxy spokesperson said.

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

"It is also an important outcome for Pfizer and other medical innovators, who invest in high-risk research to develop life-saving medicines, and for the patients who benefit from those medicines," he said.

Ranbaxy is involved in a legal battle with Pfizer in more than 17 countries, including the United States, over patent infringement of Pfizer's Lipitor.

A couple of months ago, a Norway court had ruled in favour of Ranbaxy on the same case when it invalidated four patent claims of the US pharma giant.

Lipitor had brought in revenues worth $12.89 billion for Pfizer in 2006. Ranbaxy, which spent about $37 million during 2004-05 to fight the patent battle related to Pfizer's Lipitor, also has high stakes in the legal battle.