Bangalore, Dec 14, 2009: American Drug maker Pfizer has asked a judge to bar the sale of a generic version of Lipitor, developed by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, one of India's top drug makers by volume. Pfizer has also sued Dr. Reddy's.

 

Lipitor is the world's largest selling cholesterol drug and Pfizer holds the patent for the drug until 2017. Dr Reddy's, based in Southern Indian city of Hyderabad, had in October 2009, asked FDA to allow it to launch the generic version of Lipitor, claiming the generic version did not infringe on any patent.

Pfizer has filed a complaint in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware in the US telling the court that the company will be irreparably harmed if Dr. Reddy's is allowed to sell the generic Lipitor. Lipitor generated almost $8 billion in sales for Pfizer last year.

Dr Reddy’s said it was confident of its position and was working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.