A federal court in Pittsburgh upheld Pfizer’s patent covering the active ingredient in its Norvasc hypertension pill. The decision by Judge Terrence McVerry, which is subject to appeal, prohibits Mylan from selling a pill until September.

“The court decision is another important victory for medical innovators who invest in high-risk research to develop life saving medicines, as well as for the patients who benefit from those medicines,” crows Allen Waxman, Pfizer’s general counsel.

No word yet on Mylan’s next step. The generic drugmaker issued a two-sentence press release in which it simply reaffirmed 2007 earnings because a copycat was “never factored” into its forecast.

Six months can mean a lot, folks. How so? Norvasc generated nearly $4.9 billion in sales last year. Do the simple math and that’s something like $13 million a day. Lose that for six months and Jeff Kindler is likely to get high blood pressure.

[tags]Mylan Laboratories, Norvasc, Patents, Pfizer[/tags]