28th Jun 2006 14:03
/C O R R E C T I O N -- Pfizer Inc/In the news release, British Appellate Court Rules In Pfizer's Favor InChallenge To Basic Lipitor Patent, issued earlier today by Pfizer Inc over PRNewswire, we are advised by the company that the third paragraph, firstsentence, should read "Pfizer Vice Chairman and General Counsel Jeffrey B.Kindler said: 'We are pleased with the appellate court decision, whichaffirmsthe lower court ruling on our basic patent for Lipitor,' rather than whatwasoriginally issued inadvertently. British Appellate Court Rules In Pfizer's Favor In Challenge To Basic Lipitor PatentLipitor Protected from Generic Competition In United Kingdom until 2011 NEW YORK, June 28 -- Pfizer Inc said today the United Kingdom's Court of Appeal has upheld the exclusivity of the main patent covering atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor. The appellate court ruling affirms a lower court decision in October 2005 that found a proposed Ranbaxy generic would infringe Pfizer's basic Lipitor patent (EP 247,633). The appellate court's decision prohibits Ranbaxy from introducing a generic version of atorvastatin in the UK before the expiration of the basic patent in November 2011, subject to a possible further appeal to the House of Lords. Pfizer Vice Chairman and General Counsel Jeffrey B. Kindler said: "We are pleased with the appellate court decision, which affirms the lower court ruling on our basic patent for Lipitor. This decision is consistent with the fundamental principle that patents exist to support the work of medical innovators pursuing discoveries that benefit current and future generations of patients around the world." The appellate court ruled invalid a second patent covering the calcium salt of atorvastatin (EP 409,281), which expires in July 2010 and therefore has no commercial relevance in the UK.SOURCE Pfizer Inc 06/28/2006 /CONTACT: Bryant Haskins of Pfizer Inc, +1-212-733-8719/ /Photo: A free corporate logo to accompany this story is available immediately via Wieck Photo Database to any media with telephoto receiver or electronic darkroom, PC or Macintosh, that can accept overhead transmissions. To retrieve a logo, please call 972-392-0888./ /Web site: http://www.pfizer.com / (PFE)ENDPFIZER INCRelated Shares:
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