Pfizer responds to Austrian Lipitor ruling

World drugs giant Pfizer has said that an Austrian appeals court ruling on the enantiomer patent for Lipitor (atorvastatin) applies only to Austria and is not relevant to ongoing patent litigation with Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy in any other jurisdiction. New York-headquartered Pfizer holds other patents for Lipitor in Austria, including its basic patent that does not expire until 2011 and it noted that these patents are not affected by the court's decision. The ruling upheld a verdict by the Austrian Patent Office to invalidate the product claims of Pfizer's enantiomer patent covering the active ingredient in Lipitor, which had been challenged by Ranbaxy.