Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has secured a significant legal victory in long-running antitrust litigation in the US related to its 2008 patent litigation settlement with Pfizer concerning generic Lipitor (Atorvastatin).
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has affirmed the order of the US District Court granting summary judgment in its entirety in favour of Sun Pharma and certain of its subsidiaries.
The appellate court has also upheld the District Court’s orders denying class certification to the plaintiffs, strengthening Sun Pharma’s position in the litigation.
The case relates to allegations by plaintiffs that the 2008 settlement agreement between Sun Pharma and Pfizer unlawfully delayed generic competition for Lipitor, and that the generic version of the cholesterol-lowering drug would have entered the market earlier in the absence of the alleged unlawful settlement.
Sun Pharma said the litigation had been disclosed from time to time in its financial statements.
Litigation substantially near closure
The latest appellate ruling marks a major favourable development for Sun Pharma and its subsidiaries and substantially brings the litigation to a close, although the company noted that the plaintiffs may have further remedies available under applicable law.
The ruling removes a significant layer of legal uncertainty surrounding one of the long-running litigations involving the company in the US.
For Sun Pharma, the outcome is particularly relevant given the importance of the US market to its global pharmaceutical business and the continuing regulatory and legal scrutiny surrounding settlements involving generic drug launches.
The company disclosed the development to the stock exchanges under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, on August 17, 2026.
The disclosure was signed by Anoop Deshpande, Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.