Synthon, Pfizer in Legal Wrangle

In a bid to shield more than $3 billion in sales of a high blood pressure drug, Pfizer is suing generic drug company Synthon Pharmaceuticals. Synthon Laboratories, a subsidiary of the drug company, is seeking FDA approval for a lower-cost medication that would rival the drug Norvasc, Pfizer's top-selling high blood pressure drug. Two weeks after learning of Synthon's plans, Pfizer responded with a lawsuit accusing Synthon of trampling on two Pfizer patents. Pfizer contends that patents for the science behind Norvasc don't expire until 2007.

Triangle Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2005/01/31/story6.html)