Ribaviran
Press Release Source: Ribapharm Inc.
Ribapharm Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. in
the United States
Monday August 26, 7:00 am ET
COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ribapharm Inc. (NYSE: RNA
- News) today announced that it has filed an action in the United States
District Court in Los Angeles against Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., to enforce its
patents on the use of ribavirin. Earlier this month, the company initiated
patent infringement actions against Roche in the Netherlands and Germany, and
will be filing a counter-action for patent infringement against Roche in
Switzerland where Roche is seeking a declaratory judgment that their marketing
of ribavirin does not infringe Ribapharm's patents.
"Roche has communicated to the financial community their intention to market a
ribavirin product, an action that would be in violation of the patents in place
for ribavirin and in disregard of our intellectual property rights," said
Johnson Y.N. Lau, M.D., President and CEO of Ribapharm. "These legal actions
against Roche, taken together, make clear Ribapharm's resolve to vigorously
enforce and defend our patents."
Ribavirin, a nucleoside analogue, is licensed to Schering-Plough and marketed in
combination with Schering-Plough's interferon alfa-2b product (Rebetron(TM)) and
with pegylated interferon alfa-2b (PEG-Intron® -- Rebetol®) for the treatment of
chronic hepatitis C.
In June 2002, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a Consensus
Conference Panel to examine current management and treatment practices for
hepatitis C. The panel noted that the hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of
chronic liver diseases in the United States, including liver cirrhosis and
hepatocellular carcinoma. In a draft consensus statement, the NIH panel
concluded that the most effective treatment of chronic hepatitis C is with a
combination therapy of pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus,
or HCV. Globally, an estimated 170 million people are chronically infected with
HCV. Hepatitis C currently accounts for an estimated 10,000 deaths in the U.S.
annually.
Ribapharm is a biopharmaceutical company that seeks to discover, develop,
acquire and commercialize innovative products for the treatment of significant
unmet medical needs, principally in the antiviral and anticancer areas.
THE "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT
OF 1995. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risk and uncertainties, including but not limited to, projections of future
sales, operating income, returns on invested assets, regulatory approval
processes, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings.