Ranbaxy wins additional Atorvastatin patents in Norway

Mumbai, Aug 30 (UNI) Ranbaxy Laboratories today announced that a Norwegian court on Wednesday handed down a favourable decision for the pharma major in the case against Pfizer, involving two patents on Atorvastatin in Norway.

In a notice to BSE, the company said the Oslo City Court sided with Ranbaxy by finding non-infringement of two of Pfizers Norwegian patents covering particular intermediate compounds.

Earlier in November 2005, the Norwegian Court had found that the Ranbaxys Atorvastatin product did not infringe one of Pfizers process patents, but infringed the second of the rivals patents, covering a particular intermediate compound.

Ranbaxy has already appealed to the Norwegian Court of Appeals against the negative judgment on the one remaining intermediate compound patent.

The decision validates Ranbaxys position regarding the atorvastatin patents, said Ranbaxy senior VP Jay Deshmukh, adding that the company would continue to actively pursue all options in Norway and other markets to introduce affordable atorvastatin to patients around the world. Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering drug, marketed by Pfizer as Lipitor.

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