Pfizer's had its day in court - yet again. After a drawn-out battle with Teva Pharmaceuticals over patent rights to Viagra, Pfizer won their bid to get payback for court fees - to the tune of $378,285. That's really a drop in the bucket for a company that earned $67.8 billion last year. But it's a matter of principle, right?The judge sided with Pfizer, agreeing that Teva had basically wasted everybody's time with baseless accusations that Pfizer attempted to defraud the U.S. Patent Office way back when they filed the original patents for Viagra. To be sure, Pfizer's patent lawyers acted in the company's best interest when they framed the wording of the patent, but their phrasing and their conduct weren't egregious. They were just, you know, doing what lawyers do.
Knowing Teva, the David of drug companies that seems intent on taking down Pfizer's Goliath, there's probably an appeal in the works. With everything Teva already owes, they don't have much to lose.
