Pfizer, Ranbaxy get mixed ruling in Lipitor patent fight

A Norwegian court handed victories to both Pfizer and generic drug maker Ranbaxy today. The court sided with Ranbaxy by finding non-infringement of one key Pfizer Norwegian Process Patent. However, the court also ruled that Pfizer's patent covering an intermediate compound used to make atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor, would be infringed by the sale of Ranbaxy's proposed generic version in Norway. The court did not rule on two other patents in question. Both companies plan to appeal their unfavorable rulings.

- read this Asia Pulse article for more on the ruling