Court Rules for Pfizer in Patent Infringement Case on Neurontin

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pfizer Inc said today that an appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling that several generic manufacturers did not infringe the company’s patent for stabilized formulations of gabapentin, the active ingredient in Neurontin.

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the New Jersey federal district court should not have granted summary judgment to the generic manufacturers, and that a full trial should be held on Pfizer’s allegations of patent infringement.

Pfizer said the ruling will allow the company to seek a judgment of infringement and, if successful, pursue full compensation for the damages it suffered due to the 2004 at-risk launch of generic versions of Neurontin. Prior to such launch, Pfizer’s sales of Neurontin were more than $2 billion a year, and the patent does not expire until 2017.