‘According to drugs.com, pregabalin is an anti-epileptic drug which works by slowing down impulses in the brain that cause seizures. A European patent for the drug was granted to Warner-Lambert Co, LLC (“Warner-Lambert”)(now a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc.) under EP number 0 641 330. That patent expired on 17 May 2013 but was extended by a supplementary protection certificate (“SPC”) until 17 May 2018. That SPC was allowed to lapse on 14 Oct 2013 and Warner-Lambert’s data exclusivity in respect of the data used to obtain the marketing authorisation for prehabalin expired on 8 July 2014. Since then anybody has been free to make, import or sell pregabalin for treating epilepsy and generalized anxiety disorder in the United Kingdom and several companies including some of the parties to these proceedings have done just that.’
NIPC Law, 18th September 2015
Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk
