The Makers of Viagra Face Court Battles with Other Inventors

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How has the landscape changed for current inventors and inventions?

The Makers of Viagra Face Court Battles with Other Inventors

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't heard of one of the most recent science inventions--Viagra. Unlike inventions such as the airplane, light bulb or door lock, which all have only one inventor listed on their patents, Viagra has a long list of inventors. The pill, which helps men with erectile dysfunction, was first offered in 1998 by Pfizer. The company boasts that of millions of men have been helped by the drug and at least 9 tablets are dispensed every second worldwide. The description of how Viagra works reads like a long science journal complete with formulas no one else could reasonably understand. Unlike historical inventors and inventions, the makers of Viagra have had to spend unknown amounts of money trying to monopolize its market reach. Also unlike previous famous inventions, Viagra has had to face serious market competition, especially from another similar scientific drug known as Levitra, sold by GlaxoSmithKline. They've also faced court battles including one by Eli Lilly and the ICOS Corp who were developing Cialis, still another of the same type of science invention. In that battle, the United Kingdom's High Court ruled that Pfizer's European patent was invalid. It's likely that still more similar drugs will try to capture the market share Pfizer thought it had secured. This new invention offers a compelling story about how the landscape of inventions and patents has changed. Today's inventions have to be much more carefully patented or they will be challenged by competitors who state they were the first to discover the same new idea. That's why it's important to consider hiring a patent law firm if you are an inventor so you can prevent such litigation. Otherwise you'll spend valuable time and money in court trying to fight other inventors instead of taking your product to market.

   

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