Pfizer Appeals Viagra Decision; Starts Retailing
Pfizer has appealed an earlier July decision not to grant
patent protection to Viagra by China's State Intellectual
Property Office. The drug, which up until now, has only
been sold through Chinese hospitals, has been widely counterfeited
in China.
The SIPO refused to grant protection when it was convinced
by other Chinese drug makers that Pfizer did not properly
identify sildenafil citrate as the active main ingredient
in Viagra. The case has now become a high-profile test
case for American companies, who cite Chinese infringement
of intellectual property laws.
Other industries have had to face similar
quandaries in China. GM
in China had to deal with an auto design being copied
by one of its Chinese partner's affiliated companies.
At the same time, Pfizer has won approval from the Chinese
government to expand sales of Viagra to more than 2,000
retail outlets. Now, the drug can be offered by registered
specialists in China.
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