Are Your Chinese Patents At Risk?

Viagra generated about US$1.7 billion in worldwide sales last year. Pfizer has patented the use of Viagra's active ingredient around the world, including in China, where the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) granted its patent on September 19 2001. Immediately after the grant, a dozen Chinese pharmaceutical companies and individuals filed petitions to invalidate the Viagra patent. Recently, SIPO issued a decision to revoke the patent on the grounds that the patent had failed to provide enough information on exactly how the active ingredient was manufactured. In addition, GlaxoSmithKline, Europe's largest drug maker, recently had to abandon its patent on a popular anti-diabetic drug, which was under attack by a group of Chinese drug companies. This article takes a closer look at Chinese patent invalidation proceedings.