PTO to reissue Lipitor patent

Executive Summary

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reissuing a key Lipitor (atorvastatin) patent covering an enantiomer of the drug. The agency allowed Pfizer to resubmit the patent, which expires in 2011, to correct technical defects after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the patent was invalid due to these defects (1"The Pink Sheet," Aug. 20, 2007, In Brief). Pfizer does not expect generic competition for Lipitor until November 2011 after its settlement with Ranbaxy, the first to file an ANDA and challenge Lipitor patents (2"The Pink Sheet," June 23, 2008, p. 22). Pfizer remains in litigation with Teva and Apotex, which have ANDAs pending for generic Lipitor