PFIZER WORLD HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK. (Jeff Christensen Reuters, REUTERS /November 22, 2012)
Pfizer Inc has cut the Canadian price of its Viagra erectile dysfunction
drug after the Supreme Court of Canada opened the door to sales of generic
versions of the drug, the company said on Thursday. "We are lowering
original Viagra's price to be in line with generic versions because we are
committed to ensuring that Viagra patients continue to have access to the
original - made by Pfizer, and at a competitive price," Scott Wilks from
Pfizer's Canadian subsidiary said in a statement.
The patent on Viagra had been due to expire in 2014 in Canada. The
Supreme Court threw the door open to generics immediately on November 8 when it
ruled that Pfizer had not provided enough details when it filed its patent. That
challenge had been mounted by Israeli-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd,
the world's largest drug maker, which said it expected to offer a generic
version at a substantially lower price.
Pfizer said cheaper generic entries had already arrived in Canadian
stores. It did not identify the suppliers, but said it had now cut its typical
pack of four 100 mg pills to about C$37 ($37) from C$49, effective immediately.
The Viagra patent in the United States is still valid. Viagra is not available
over the counter, so Americans cannot simply to go into a Canadian pharmacy to
buy the drug.
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