Biosite(R) Incorporated Announces Implementation of New Antibody Expression Technology
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Biosite Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSTE - news), a leader in the drive to improve medical diagnosis, today reported that it is implementing new antibody expression technology that is being used with its Omniclonal® phage display technology to select and express antibodies. The new technology is intended to allow Biosite freedom to operate its business without using patents licensed from XOMA Ltd.
``We have designed our own novel antibody expression technology that is fundamentally different than that at the center of our dispute with XOMA,'' said Gunars Valkirs, Ph.D., vice president Biosite Discovery. ``Biosite Discovery has already implemented our new technology for the development of new antibodies, and we expect that prior to year-end all recombinant antibodies used in our diagnostic products will be produced using our new technology.'' Biosite is also employing its new technology in its Trans-Phage Technology(SM) collaborations with Medarex, Inc. and third-party partners.
``Although we believe that our old technology is fully covered by the licenses we purchased from XOMA and that our pending claims in the litigation regarding these licenses are meritorious, it has become clear that XOMA will continue its attempts to terminate the licenses and its efforts to interfere with our business,'' said Kim Blickenstaff, Biosite president and chief executive officer. ``We therefore decided that the most prudent course was to develop new technology that we believe is outside the scope of all XOMA patents. As a result, we believe we are now protected both by the current licenses, which we believe were not validly terminated by XOMA, and our new processes.''
Valkirs added that Biosite is taking steps to protect its intellectual property. ``We have filed a patent application relating to our new technology and are launching a licensing program, through which we will offer companies practicing phage display a unique package of technology that includes the Dower patents as well as our new antibody expression technology.''
In 1998, Biosite acquired the Dower patents (U.S. Patents 5,427,908 and 5,580,717 and European Patent EP 0527839B1) from Affymax Technologies N.V. Biosite believes that the Dower patent rights are fundamental for the practice of multi-chain antibody phage display. Licensing inquiries should be addressed to Chris Hibberd, Biosite vice president strategic planning and business development.
Biosite's dispute with XOMA pertains to patents that were licensed by Biosite in 1998 and 1999. In May 2001, XOMA claimed Biosite was in breach of its license agreements and subsequently purported to terminate the license, which led to continuing litigation between the two companies. Biosite maintains it is in full compliance with the license agreements and has not breached its obligations, and therefore there is no basis for termination.
A leader in the drive to advance diagnosis, Biosite Incorporated is a research-based company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel protein-based diagnostic tests that improve a physician's ability to diagnose debilitating and life-threatening diseases. The Company combines integrated discovery and diagnostics businesses to access proteomics research, identify proteins with high diagnostic utility, develop and commercialize products and educate the medical community on new diagnostic approaches that improve health care outcomes. Biosite's Triage® rapid diagnostic tests are used in 50 percent of U.S. hospitals and in 40 international markets. Information on Biosite can be found at www.biosite.com ... |
