The Korean companies have been manufacturing impotency drugs using Sildenafil, and will avoid compensating Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals due to the verdict. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Apr. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Court of Korea has ruled against Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, which sued six Korean pharmaceutical companies for violation of patent rights related to Sildenafil, a main ingredient in the production of impotency drugs.
The court said on April 28 that the six companies, including CJ CheilJedang and Hanmi Pharm, won’t have to compensate Pfizer, as patent rights for Sildenafil cannot be subject to a certain company.
The Korean companies have been manufacturing impotency drugs using Sildenafil, and will avoid compensating Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals due to the verdict.
CJ CheilJedang filed a request to the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board in 2011 to nullify Sildenafil-related patent rights belonging to Pfizer.
Korean pharmaceutical companies claimed at the time that as ingredients contained in Sildenafil could be fabricated easily by any technician, Pfizer failed to meet one of the conditions necessary to acquire patent rights.
The board accepted the claim and concluded that Pfizer’s patent rights for Sildenafil are not valid, which led Pfizer to sue the Korean companies.
By John Choi (johnchoi@koreabizwire.com)
