Ranbaxy Labs granted two atorvastatin patents in Norway

Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories says that a Norwegian court delievered a favorable decision in its case against world pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer, involving two Norwegian patents on atorvastatin, the active ingredient of Lipitor, which is the world's most prescribed agent for reducing cholesterol, achieving turnover of $12.6 billion last year.

The Oslo City Court sided with Ranbaxy by finding non-infringement of two of Pfizer's Norwegian patents covering particular intermediate compounds. Earlier, in November 2005, the Norwegian Court found that Ranbaxy's atorvastatin product did not infringe one of Pfizer's process patents but to infringe a separate one covering a particular intermediate compound.

Ranbaxy noted that it has already appealed to the Norwegian Court of Appeals against the negative judgment on the one remaining intermediate compound patent.