Janssen Pharmaceutica to block new Pilva Kraków drug?

Janssen Pharmaceutica (JP), an international pharmaceutical producer and par t of the Johnson & Johnson corporation, wants the court to prohibit a Croati an firm, Pilva Kraków (PK) from introducing a new drug, Risset, to the marke t. PK does not think it is breaking the law and, interestingly, both compani es cite the same agreement to support their views. JP experts claim that PK created a copy of their own drug, Rispolept, under the guise of 'a generic p harmaceutical', based on the same active substances. The producers are prima rily battling over the market. "The producer of Rispolept in 1998 was grante d exclusive rights to sell this pharmaceutical in Poland. On this basis, its patent is secured until 2006," explained Włodzimierz Kubiak, general directo r of Janssen-Cilag, JP's representatives in Poland. PK retorted that JP lost its exclusivity right because it did not adhere to one of the conditions sta ted in the agreement. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) A.C.