Appeals Court Invalidates Lipitor Patent According to Knobbe Martens.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear is pleased to announce that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("CAFC") ruled in favor of its client, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited and Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Ranbaxy"), on one of the key atorvastatin patents (U.S. Patent No. 5,273,995) currently held by Pfizer. Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-reducing drug, marketed by Pfizer as Lipitor(R), and is the largest selling drug in the world.

The CAFC's ruling invalidates the '995 patent which would not have expired until June, 2011. On the other hand, the CAFC affirmed the portion of the district court judgment regarding Pfizer's other atorvastatin patent (U.S. Patent No. 4,681,893), which is set to expire in March, 2010. Thus, with respect to these two patents, the decision shortens Pfizer's protection over atorvastatin by fifteen months.

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, the parent company of Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world and is the largest pharmaceutical company in India. It has been developing generic pharmaceuticals for over 41 years with a mission to bring high quality, affordable generic medicines to consumers worldwide. Ranbaxy's Vice President of Intellectual Property, Jay Deshmukh, stated, "We are pleased by the Court's decision on the '995 patent and are evaluating our options with respect to the '893 patent."

Darrell Olson, lead counsel in the case, stated, "We are delighted that the Court's decision resulted in a positive outcome for Ranbaxy and are confident this decision will also be a great benefit to the public. While analysts characterized this case as 'the longest of longshots,' we believed in our position and persevered to succeed."

"This is a great success for Ranbaxy, our firm and the consumer," said William R. Zimmerman, a litigation partner with Knobbe Martens who argued the CAFC appeal. "The decision should allow consumers to gain access to the generic version of the drug more quickly. Both Ranbaxy and the Knobbe Martens litigation team were resolute in their position in this case, despite the district court decision. The Court's decision is rewarding, and we will continue to work alongside Ranbaxy to bring high quality, affordable generic drugs to the marketplace."

The Knobbe Martens lawyers who represented Ranbaxy included: Darrell L. Olson, William R. Zimmerman, Joseph R. Reisman, John P. Giezentanner, Douglas G. Muehlhauser, Payson LeMeilleur, Sheila N. Swaroop and Walter S. Wu, M.D.

With over 175 lawyers, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP represents clients in all areas of intellectual property law and litigation. Clients include public and private companies at various stages of growth, from start-up to the Fortune 500 worldwide. Founded in 1962, the firm is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States. The firm has been recognized in international surveys for excellence in all aspects of intellectual property law. In addition, several members of the firm have been voted among the world's leading intellectual property lawyers. More information about the firm can be found on its website: www.kmob.com.