Ranbaxy allowed to launch generic Lipitor

New Delhi: Ranbaxy Laboratories has said that the Norwegian Appeals Court has ruled in its favour in its case against Pfizer over the cholesterol drug, atorvastatin.

In a statement, the company said that the Oslo City Court had also previously found that the Gurgaon-based company had not infringed on two of Pfizer's Norwegian patents for Lipitor.

The court had, however, denied Ranbaxy's assertion of non-infringement on a third patent.

Ranbaxy said that in today's decision, the appeal court upheld the city court ruling with regards to the first two patents, and overturned the adverse ruling on the third.

This clears the way for Ranbaxy to market atorvastatin tablets in Norway, said the company.

'This is a most important decision for Ranbaxy as it completely validates our position in relation to the Atorvastatin patents,' said Mr Jay Deshmukh, Senior Vice-President, Global Intellectual Property.

However, Pfizer plans to appeal against the ruling.

Lipitor generated almost $13 billion in 2006 sales for the New York-based company, the world's biggest drugmaker.

Its Lipitor patent is set to expire in the US in 2010.

Ranbaxy and Pfizer have patent challenge cases over the drug being heard in courts across the world.