UPDATE: Lasco, Medimpex awarded special damages in Pfizer case, substantial award to be assessed

Lasco Distributors Limited and Medimpex Jamaica Limited have been awarded special damages in their lawsuit against global drug giant Pfizer.

Lasco has been awarded $155,738.90 while Medimpex has been awarded approximately $5.3 million in relation to stocks that it had to destroy as a result of the court battle with the drug giant.

The awards were made in a 120-page written decision handed down by the Supreme Court this morning.

On the substantial matter of damages being sought by Lasco and Medimpex, the court directed all parties to settle on a figure and return on or before November 24.

Pfizer was sued by the two Jamaican companies for preventing them from selling a generic form of the hypertension drug Norvasc.

Lasco has asked the court to award it US$311 million in damages, but Pfizer has countered saying Lasco should be paid no more than US$518,000 for the period it was not allowed to sell the drug.

Meanwhile, Medimpex is demanding US$11.5 million.

However, Pfizer is asking the court to rule that it should not pay out more than US$68,000 to Medimpex.

The matter arose from an injunction granted to Pfizer in 2005, which remained in effect until 2012 when the United Kingdom-based Privy Council upheld rulings by the local courts in favour of Lasco and Medimpex.

Pfizer had contended that the Jamaican firms violated its patent when they started selling generic versions of Norvasc in the early 2000s.

But Lasco and Medimpex challenged the matter in court and won.

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