NEW YORK, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Pfizer said Tuesday that it has won its patent lawsuit against generic-drug firms Ranbaxy and Teva over quinapril.
The drug, sold by Pfizer as Accupril, is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. The drug is made by Ranbaxy and marketed by Teva.
"Today's decision sends a clear message that the law does not encourage or excuse infringement of valid pharmaceutical patents by generic companies," said Pfizer Vice Chairman and General Counsel Jeff Kindler. "The ruling also reinforces the importance of intellectual property protection to the development of new, life saving medicines."
The decision handed down in March by United States District Court in New Jersey immediately halted the sale of generic quinapril by Ranbaxy and Teva, which had launched the drug in December 2004, Pfizer said. Other non-infringing formulations remain on the U.S. market, the company said.
Pfizer's patent-infringement suit against the same companies is still pending in district court in New Jersey, where the company is seeking damages resulting from lost sales.
Separately, a German court has upheld a government price cap on Pfizer's lipid-lowering drug Lipitor, reports said Tuesday.
Had Pfizer successfully challenged the decision, patients would have had to cover the difference between the drug's retail price and the insurer's set price.
But New York-based Pfizer has vowed to appeal the ruling, which caused a slump in sales of the drug in Germany, where it is sold under the brand name Sortis, the report said.
