Free Viagra

Copyright free, that is. There must be a lot of cadres out there struggling to get it up.

Last week, the Financial Times reported:

Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceuticals company, faced increased competition in China after Beijing yesterday overturned its domestic patent for the main ingredient in Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug. Pfizer said it would appeal against the ruling.

The China Daily explains:

The China State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) has declared the patent for Viagra ... as invalid in China because it doesn't conform with Article 26 of China's Patent Law...

...In accordance with the law, a company applying for a patent must provide a description of the drug "in a manner sufficiently clear and complete so as to enable a person skilled in the relevant field" to understand the drug...

...In a statement concerning the ruling, Pfizer Inc said it will appeal the board's announcement on Viagra (active ingredient sildenafil).

The decision by SIPO's Patent Reexamination Board overturns the sildenafil-use patent issued in China in September 2001, the company said in the statement...

...Many domestic companies opposed the patent because drugs produced by some Chinese companies had already been using the active ingredient of Viagra in drugs, Sina.com.cn news reported.

The FT story is here (subscription required), the China Daily story is here.