Russian drugmaker PSK Pharma launches generic of Pfizer's tofacitinib

The Russian drugmaker PSK Pharma has launched the production of tofacitinib – a generic version of Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) Xeljanz/Jaquinus drug, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

It will be sold under the Tofara brand, according to PSK Pharma’s chief executive Evgenia Shapiro. This drug is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is included in the list of vital drugs.

PSK Pharma registered tofacitinib back in 2020. However, at that time this drug (under the Jaquinus brand) was the subject of a Eurasian patent of Pfizer in Russia, and only expires in 2025. Pfizer appealed to the Moscow Arbitration Court, which banned PSK Pharma from launching tofacitinib onto the market. However, in May of this year, the Russian patent regulator Rospatent cancelled Pfizer's patent for the drug ahead of schedule on the grounds of the lack of unique characteristics. The court of appeal overturned the previous court decision, thus allowing PSK Pharma to manufacture tofacitinib before the patent expires.