Pharma major, Cipla has won a landmark patent case against Swiss drug maker F Hoffmann-La Roche in the Delhi High Court on September 7, 2012 over the Indian company’s generic copy of lung cancer drug Tarceva after a four-year court battle.
As per the Delhi High Court, Cipla's drug - Erlocip did not violate the Roche patent on its anti-lung cancer medication Tarceva due to its different molecular make-up. Justice Manmohan Singh observed in his 280-page judgment that it had been scientifically proven that Cipla’s generic version was a polymorph B variant of Roche’s patented drug and that it didn’t actually infringe any patent in India.
