Ranbaxy loses again with generic Lipitor

HELSINKI, Finland, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A Finnish court blocked India's biggest drug maker, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, from selling its generic answer to Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering drug.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal, in a move that has precedents in several developed nations, granted Pfizer Inc. a preliminary injunction against Ranbaxy, the Economic Times reported Thursday.

The ruling involves Pfizer's patent for processes and intermediate compounds used to make atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor.

Ranbaxy has the option of appealing the decision to the Finnish Supreme Court.