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US: Pfizer, Ranbaxy overcome pay-for-delay claims

By  |  September 14, 2014

Two pharmaceutical conglomerates emerged victorious Friday in a lawsuit accusing the companies of colluding to delay the release of generic medication for sale in a pay-for-delay scheme, say reports.

Pfizer Inc and India-based Ranbaxy Laboratories won a dismissal of the lawsuit filed by retailers and distribution companies. The plaintiffs argued that the two had conspired to delay the release of the generic, cheaper form of Lipitor.

According to reports, the suit alleged that the companies settled a patent dispute in 2008 that saw Pfizer drop patent infringement claims against Ranbaxy and, in exchange, Ranbaxy would not enter the Lipitor market until November 2011.

But a federal judge ruled Friday that the plaintiffs failed to argue the case with sufficient detail, according to reports.

Specifically, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs did not argue a monetary value of the 2008 argument.

Full content: Reuters

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