Pharmacia Diagnostics plans fightback after German defeat
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Axis Biochemicals (Norway) has been cleared of charges of infringing a patent held by Swedish company Pharmacia Diagnostics (see Clinica No 629, p 16). A Munich court has ruled that Axis' CDT test for alcoholism does not infringe the patent under which Pharmacia, Axis' only rival, manufactures its CDTect test. A Pharmacia spokesperson told Clinica the company intends to appeal against the decision. Axis administrative director Steinar Lein estimates the potential world market for a test for alcoholism at $75 million per year, of which $6 million is in Germany, according to Reuters.