PFIZER WINS CELEBREX PATENT CHALLENGE

Pfizer announced yesterday that a federal court in New Jersey has upheld the company's three main U.S. patents covering Celebrex, a selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation.

Generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals had challenged the patents, Pfizer said. The judge ruled that the patents covering the active ingredient, pharmaceutical composition and method of use for Celebrex (celecoxib) are valid, enforceable and infringed on by Teva's generic product.

The decision, which is subject to appeal, prohibits Teva from launching its product in the U.S. until December 2015, according to Pfizer.

The FDA approved Celebrex in 1998. The drug had annual U.S. sales totaling $1.57 billion last year, Pfizer said.