Beijing police have raided an underground factory making fake Viagra pills

Xinhua News Agency said police found nearly 2,000 fake and unlicensed generic viagra pills in the factory in eastern Beijing, along with machines, packing materials and trade mark logos, all worth an estimated 2.5 million yuan ($320,000).

The raid comes just days after Pfizer said it had appealed a Chinese court ruling that lets a rival use one of the Chinese-language names for its popular drug.

The Beijing court said the brand name, "Wei Ge," was properly registered by Guangzhou Wellman Pharmaceutical Co.

Pfizer sells Viagra in China as "Wan Ai Ke," but argued that it also is known as "Wei Ge," or "Mighty Brother," and other companies should be barred from using that name.

Pfizer has fought a series of battles in China over the patent and name rights to Viagra, a potentially lucrative product in a society with a long interest in drugs to improve sexual performance.

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