Novartis launches copy-cat case
Novartis, the Swiss drugs giant, has launched legal action against its larger rival GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), claiming it is infringing one of its patents covering a technique used in the production of a number of its own vaccines. Last year, GSK lawyers attempted to get the Novartis patent revoked, claiming it should never have been granted, but Novartis has reacted by claiming that not only should the patent stand, but that the GSK firm is also infringing its intellectual property.