In Brief: Roche v. Organon Teknika
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Roche v. Organon Teknika: Roche files suit against Organon Teknika alleging that Teknika's NASBA gene amplification technology used in two HIV tests available in Europe infringes Roche's European patent for polymerase chain reaction amplification technology. The suit, filed in the District Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, seeks to prohibit Teknika from marketing the quantitative and qualitative HIV test kits in Europe, as well as any future assays using the NASBA technology. Teknika "has carefully studied and evaluated" Roche's PCR patent "and has concluded that [the patent] bears no relevance to the NASBA tests," the company says. Teknika, which has "a number" of patents for NASBA, is currently developing 10 additional assays based on the technology, including a test for tuberculosis...