Pfizer Sues Rivals Over Viagra Patent

By AFP

NEW YORK

Pfizer has filed two separate lawsuits against rivals Eli Lilly, Icoa Corp, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bayer alleging violation of its patent for Viagra. According to Pfizer, its patent for Viagra has been violated by Eli Lilly's and Icoa's Cilias impotence treatment and by GlaxoSmithKline's and Bayer's Levitra treatment.

    Pfizer said its exclusive rights in the impotence drug field are protected by a US patent for which it filed in 1994. The company received US Food and Drug Administration marketing approval for the drug in 1998. Neither Cilias not Levitra are currently sold in the US, but GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer have announced plans to market Levitra next year.

    Viagra has become a major revenue producer for Pfizer and one of the top-selling pharmaceuticals worldwide. Pfizer said that worldwide sales of Viagra grew 17 percent to US$437 million in the third quarter, compared to the same period in 2001. It said some 120 million prescriptions having been written since launch for more than 20 million men worldwide, including12 million men in the US. AFP