Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited announced that the Federal Court of Australia today handed down a favorable decision in the company's case against Pfizer regarding Pfizer's Australian Atorvastatin patent 628198. Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering drug which is marketed by Pfizer as Lipitor®.

Justice Neil Young ruled that one of Pfizer’s patents is invalid for false suggestion and misrepresentation in obtaining the grant of Australian patent 628198 , but said that Ranbaxy’s atorvastatin product infringes another Pfizer patent. The Court’s ruling followed a trial in Melbourne which took place from October 9th to 23rd, 2006. The invalidity of Pfizer's Australian patent 628198 was principally based on the Pfizer's representation to the Australian Patent Office that the potency of the R-enantiomer (atorvastatin) in relation to its ability to inhibit production of cholesterol was unexpectedly 10-fold more than that of the corresponding racemic material. This representation was held to be “false and misleading.”

Jay Deshmukh, Ranbaxy's Senior Vice President - Global Intellectual Property, noted, "We are pleased with this decision as it stands, as it advances the entry of Ranbaxy's generic atorvastatin in Australia to May 18, 2012."

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About Ranbaxy Laboratories

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, headquartered in India, is an integrated, research based, international pharmaceutical company producing a wide range of quality, affordable generic medicines, trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies.

Ranbaxy's continued focus on R&D has resulted in several approvals in developed markets and significant progress in New Drug Discovery Research. The Company's foray into Novel Drug Delivery Systems has led to proprietary "platform technologies," resulting in a number of products under development. The Company is serving its customers in over 100 countries and has an expanding international portfolio of affiliates, joint ventures and alliances, ground operations in 46 countries and manufacturing operations in 9 countries.