Spanish Court Upholds Lipitor Patent

Pfizer said that a Spanish court has upheld the company’s enantiomer patent covering the calcium salt of atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor, against a challenge by generic manufacturer Ranbaxy.

The Commercial Court of First Instance Number 4 in Barcelona, which issued the ruling, found a second patent covering a stabilized formulation that includes atorvastatin  invalid, Pfizer added.

Lipitor is sold in Spain under the brand names Zarator and Cardyl.

This case is the fourth in a series of challenges to the calcium salt patent by generic companies in Spain, according to Pfizer. The patent was upheld in one of three previous cases and found invalid in two others. All of the previous decisions are currently on appeal, the company added.

The calcium salt patent expires in July 2010 and the stabilized formulation patent expires in December 2013, the company said.