US PTO agrees to reissue '995 Lipitor enantiomer patent
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
The US Patent and Trademark Officehas agreed to accept Pfizer's application to correct the technical defect in the '995 enantiomer patent covering atorvastatin calcium, the salt form sold as Lipitor (expiring in June 2011). The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in August 2006 that the patent was "invalid on technical grounds", but Pfizervowed to have that decision overturned by working with the PTO on the process for correcting such defects.