Pfizer Inc has sued Novartis AG's Sandoz unit, accusing it of infringing its US patents related to the antifungal treatment Vfend. Friday's complaint alleges that Sandoz is seeking permission from the US Food and Drug Administration to sell a generic version of Vfend before the expiration of two patents issued in 1994 and 2003, respectively.
Pfizer said an infringement will cause irreparable injury, according to the complaint filed with the US district court in Wilmington, Delaware. It seeks to block Sandoz from selling any version of Vfend before the patents expire. Novartis is based in Basel, Switzerland, while Pfizer is based in New York.