Canadian court quashes bid for generic ViagraA Canadian federal court on Thursday upheld pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's patent for Viagra, dashing generic drug generic drug, a drug sold or prescribed under the nonproprietary name of its active ingredients or under a generally descriptive name rather than under a brand or trade name. maker Novopharm's longing for sales of cheaper erection drugs. Judge Michael Kelen said in his decision that Novopharm failed to demonstrate the Pfizer patent was invalid. He ordered Canada's health minister not to grant the generic drug maker's request for special permission to manufacture a Viagra knock-off until the Pfizer patent expires in 2014. Pfizer had filed the application to prohibit Novopharm from introducing a generic version of the hugely popular drug. Sildenafil sildenafil /sil·den·a·fil/ (sil-den´ah-fil?) a phosphodiesterase inhibitor that relaxes the smooth muscle of the penis, facilitating blood flow to the corpus cavernosum; used as the citrate salt to treat erectile dysfunction. , the key ingredient in Viagra, was initially developed by Pfizer in the mid-1980s as one of a number of compounds for the treatment of hypertension and angina Angina Definition Angina is pain, "discomfort," or pressure localized in the chest that is caused by an insufficient supply of blood (ischemia) to the heart muscle. . Angina patients unexpectedly experienced erections while being treated with sildenafil to lower their blood pressure, and so it was marketed to treat erectile dysfunction Erectile Dysfunction Definition Erectile dysfunction (ED), formerly known as impotence, is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection long enough to engage in sexual intercourse. . In its submissions, Novopharm, a subsidiary of the world's largest generic drug-maker Teva Pharmaceutical, questioned the timing of patent filings around Pfizer's discovery of the active ingredient An active ingredient, also active pharmaceutical ingredient (or API), is the substance in a drug that is pharmaceutically active. Some medications may contain more than one active ingredient. in Viagra. But in his decision, Judge Kelen said: "The court concludes that the applicants have met their legal burden to establish the validity of the patent." 
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