Big patent decisions on Lovenox and Lipitor

Decisions have been reached in two patent appeals for Sanofi-Aventis' Lovenox (enoxaparin) and Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin), respectively. The US Federal Court of Appeals upheld the decision by the District Court that French drug major Sanofi-Aventis' patent on Lovenox was unenforceable. This leaves generic competitors USA's Amphastar and Israel's Teva free to market their versions of the drug. Conversely, in Australia, the Full Federal Court upheld the exclusivity of global drug giant Pfizer's Australian patent on atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Lipitor, through 2012. The court found that a generic variant of the drug produced by Ranbaxy would infringe Pfizer's patent. However, a claim on the calcium salt in atorvastatin was deemed invalid during the same litigation.