Canadian Government Criticizes Lilly for Patent Filings

The Canadian government harshly criticized Eli Lilly in a patent dispute that is being heard by an international tribunal, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. At issue, it says, is the extent to which a government has the right to set its own patent laws and the recourse a drug maker has to challenge unfavorable court decisions.

The battle began because of rulings a few years ago by Canadian courts that invalidated patents on two Lilly drugs – Zyprexa and Strattera. The decisions triggered cheaper generics in Canada, leading to what Lilly claims were significant sales and job losses there, the article said. Read the WSJ story