Tuesday February 29, 1:30 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Nycomed Amersham plc
Amersham Pharmacia Biotech Wins Important
Victory in Sequencing Intellectual Property Action
LONDON, Feb. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, the life sciences business of Nycomed Amersham plc
(NYSE: NYE - news), has won an important victory in its intellectual property action on energy transfer dyes against PE
Biosystems.
A Markman hearing, in which opposing parties seek a ruling on patent claim interpretation, took place on 10 December 1999.
In a decision dated 28 February 2000 the Northern District Court of California upheld Amersham Pharmacia Biotech's
interpretation of the claims of US Patent No. 5688648. This patent is licensed exclusively by Amersham Pharmacia Biotech
from the University of California, Berkeley, and relates to use of the energy transfer dyes which have been fundamental in
enabling high throughput DNA sequencing. The patent is being enforced in an action by Amersham Pharmacia Biotech against
PE Biosystems and Celera Genomics. It is anticipated that this action will come to trial later this year.
Dr. Mike Evans, Vice-President, Corporate Development, Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, said, ``This decision confirms the
strength of our patents and is a crucial step in bringing this case to a successful conclusion. Amersham Pharmacia Biotech has
an excellent track record in bringing innovation to market and will continue to strongly defend its intellectual property.''
Amersham Pharmacia Biotech is at the frontier of new healthcare, providing the technologies to discover, develop and deliver
therapies faster and more cost-effectively than ever before. The company is an international market leader in most of its
markets. Its innovative systems are used to sequence genes, uncover the structure and function of genes and proteins, separate
biomolecules, screen potential drugs and manufacture biopharmaceuticals.
Nycomed Amersham is a world leader in ``in vivo'' diagnostic imaging and in life sciences. The company has annual sales of 1.3
billion pounds sterling and around 8,500 employees worldwide.
Die Jagd geht weiter ...
