Pfizer wins patent protection for Viagra in China
(WSC.com/Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-06-04 09:52
This undated file photo shows Viagra pills
made by Pfizer. [AFP] |
Pfizer Inc. won a key lawsuit in China for the patent protection of
Viagra, the Wall Street Journal Online reported
on Saturday.
Viagra is one of Pfizer's most popular
prescription drugs in the fastest-growing Chinese market.
"We welcome the court's decision," Pfizer spokesman Paul Fitzhenry to the
paper. "It reflects China's commitment to creating an effective
patent-protection environment and boosts the confidence of the business
community in China as an investment location."
The decision overturns a two-year-old ruling by China's patent review
board that sided with a group of generic-drug makers that had challenged
Pfizer's patent.
Though the ruling could be appealed, a spokesman
for the Chinese drug maker group said that it was unlikely one would be filed,
according to the paper.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer launched its lawsuit against China's State
Intellectual Property Office two months after its patent for Viagra was revoked
in China in July 2004.
The Beijing Municipal First Intermediate People's Court accepted Pfizer's
petition in April 2005.
China has offered promise for foreign companies that the Chinese government
is taking serious measures at protecting intellectual property right and
branding.
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