Sanofi (France) Strikes Deal With Pfizer Inc. to Make Generic Lipitor

Sanofi has won a licence from Pfizer to make a generic of the U.S. drugmaker's cholesterol treatment Lipitor, the world's best-selling treatment, which will lose patent protection next year. Les Echos newspaper, citing two sources close to the matter, reported on Thursday that Sanofi's generic drugmaker Zentiva will be allowed to produce Lipitor's active ingredient atorvastatine in France possibly even before the patent's expiry on May 7, 2012. No one at Sanofi was immediately available to comment.

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