SPI Pharma Gains Ground in Roquette Patent Dispute

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Jun 17, 2010, 11:56 ET

WILMINGTON, Del., June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday June 11th, Chief Judge Gregory Sleet of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware issued an important pre-trial ruling in the long-running patent dispute between SPI Pharma and Roquette Freres.

The court's ruling narrowly defined several key phrases contained in Roquette's patent claims, thereby dealing a significant blow to Roquette's allegations of patent infringement. Chief Judge Sleet issued his ruling after hearing extensive oral arguments in open court on May 11th. The case is scheduled to go to trial beginning October 4th.

SPI Pharma's President, Rana Kayal, was very pleased with the decision: "This ruling by the court strongly supports our long-held position that SPI Pharma's Mannogem EZ and Pharmaburst® products do not infringe on Roquette's patent. SPI Pharma will continue to defend itself against Roquette's baseless allegations of patent infringement, and we look forward to presenting our case to the jury at the trial to be held in October."

SPI Pharma is a global leader with sales in over 55 countries in the manufacture and marketing of antacid actives, excipients, drug delivery systems for tablets, soft gel capsules, fast-dissolve technologies, chewables, lozenges, and a variety of other patient-friendly dosage forms. SPI also specializes in drug development services. For more information, visit www.spipharma.com

SOURCE SPI Pharma, Inc.