Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest drug company, sued Iceland’s Actavis Group hf asking a judge to block sales of a generic version of the cholesterol drug Lipitor until a patent expires in 2017.
New York-based Pfizer contends Actavis has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make copies of the drug in violation of the 1999 patent, according to a complaint filed today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.
“Plaintiffs will be irreparably harmed” if Actavis markets its product before the patent-protection expires, Pfizer lawyers said in the complaint, which also seeks legal fees and expenses.
Lipitor is the best-selling medicine worldwide, with sales of $11.4 billion in 2009. Pfizer said July 6 it received approval from the European Commission for a new chewable form of Lipitor for children over age 10. (Source: www.bloomberg.com)
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