Pfizer's Viagra patent will be ending a little early in at least one country. The Canadian Supreme Court upheld an appeal by Teva Pharmaceuticals, thereby stripping Pfizer of its patent. The patent would have expired in 2014. The court ruled that Pfizer was too "vague" in filing its original patent, which didn't specify what the drug's active ingredient was, despite the drug maker's awareness that it was sildenafil.
Despite Pfizer's knowledge of the key component in Viagra's special sauce, the original patent covered 260 quintillion compounds. Quintillion - seriously? How does that not cover every freaking thing on the planet? Yeah, that's a little broad.
Teva, who has challenged Pfizer on many occasions, persisted in pursuing the appeal after it was rejected by two lower Canadian courts. However, analysts don't expect the company to see a huge gain following this victory, nor do they think it will have much impact on the U.S. Viagra market.
Whether it will increase tourism in Canada remains to be seen.
