US Zantac Patent To Be Extended

Glaxo has said that recent changes in US law have resulted in an extension of several of its product patents, including the basic patent on ranitidine hydrochloride, the active ingredient in its antiulcerant Zantac. This patent will now be extended from December 1995 to July 1997.

The changes have come about as a result of the December 8, 1994 signing of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (part of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade signed earlier this year; see also page 27). The Trade Related Intellectual Property provisions (TRIPs) included in this agreement require that the signatories harmonize their respective patent laws to give all patents a duration of 20 years from the date of filing, rather than the 17 years previously granted in the USA.

Glaxo also said that it is assessing the impact of these legislative changes on its ongoing patent disputes regarding ranitidine with Genpharm, Novopharm and Geneva.