19 December 2013Americas

Pfizer allows Teva’s generic Viagra

Viagra-maker Pfizer Ltd and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have agreed to settle patent litigation related to Teva’s generic version of Viagra (sildenafil citrate) tablets.

Under terms of the agreement Teva may launch a generic version of the erectile dysfunction drug in the US on December 11, 2017, more than two years before the Viagra patent is due to expire in 2020.

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted tentative approval for Teva’s generic Viagra tablets in 25mg, 50mg and 100mg strengths.

Teva will pay Pfizer a royalty for a licence to produce its Viagra generic.

In June, Teva and Actavis launched generic versions of Viagra immediately after Pfizer’s patent covering the drug expired in several European countries.

According to drugs.com, Viagra is the 42nd biggest selling drug in the world. In 2012, it made $313 million in US sales for Pfizer.

“It appears that Teva will be the first generic on the Viagra market,” said William Baton, a partner at Saul Ewing LLP in Newark.

He said the agreement appears to be a business decision on Pfizer’s part: “All litigation bears risk – Pfizer might have chosen to accept a royalty rather than continue litigating.

“If Pfizer lost the lawsuit against Teva, then presumably any generic that receives approval could go on the market at some point. Perhaps Pfizer thinks it better to settle and have its opponent become someone that pays a royalty to them, as opposed to risking a decision of noninfringement or invalidity – in which case, they would have no way to negotiate anything further and would lose any share of exclusivity.”

The agreement makes Teva a “partner” on some level, which helps Pfizer “control the risk”, he added.

Neither Pfizer nor Teva responded to LSIPR’s requests for comment.


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31 January 2019   American pharmaceutical company Pfizer warned investors of little revenue growth to come in 2019, owing partly to expiring exclusivity rights on drugs including Viagra and the seizure medicine Lyrica.

More on this story

Big Pharma
31 January 2019   American pharmaceutical company Pfizer warned investors of little revenue growth to come in 2019, owing partly to expiring exclusivity rights on drugs including Viagra and the seizure medicine Lyrica.