PFIZER WINS NIGERIAN PATENT SUIT

A Nigerian high court has ruled in favor of Pfizer in a patent infringement suit brought against two local companies, Tyonex Nigeria and Ebamic Pharmacy, for selling an unauthorized drug containing the same active ingredient as Pfizer's hypertension drug Norvasc, reports the Lagos, Nigeria-based daily newspaper Vanguard.

The court ruled that the two companies had infringed on Pfizer's Norvasc patent by importing and selling their drug Amlovas, which contains amlodipine besylate, Vanguard reports. The court also found Pfizer's patent to be valid.

The judge ordered the companies to desist and to pay Pfizer approximately $41,000 in damages, according to the article.

In addition, Pfizer seized a large quantity of Amlovas from the premises of Tyonex, and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, on Pfizer's request, deregistered Amlovas, the Vanguard article says.