Media Release
Basel, 12 September 2005
Roche announces settlement agreement with Promega
All PCR-related litigation resolved to satisfaction of both parties
Roche today announced that it has settled with Promega all PCR-related litigation in the United States, Europe and Australia, including the original lawsuit initiated by Roche Diagnostics in 1992. The specific terms of the parties’ agreement are confidential.
"Roche Diagnostics is pleased to reach this agreement with Promega and to close more than a decade of litigation between the two companies," said Heino von Prondzynski, CEO Division Roche Diagnostics and Member of Roche’s Corporate Executive Committee. "Moving forward, we will focus on realizing the potential of our patent portfolio, which contains more than 800 patents and applications related to PCR products and methods, particularly those for real-time PCR technologies."
The amount of the settlement is covered by existing litigation provisions in the Roche financial statements. There are no additional impacts on Roche's net income from the announcement of this settlement.
About the Polymerase Chain Reaction Technology (PCR)
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a Nobel-prize winning nucleic acid amplification technology that allows minute amounts of genetic material to be amplified into billions of copies in just a few hours. It has enabled many significant advances in the Human Genome project, DNA fingerprinting and in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
PCR is most widely used to perform testing that identifies whether or not a specific gene sequence is present, such as that indicating if a patient has been infected with HIV. Beyond its wide medical applications, PCR has been used to help in our understanding of evolution, human migration and even for use in food safety.
Roche has developed and encouraged the utility of PCR technology in a wide variety of areas through the company’s global licensing programs. These programs, combined with a broad spectrum of scientific collaborations, postdoctoral fellowships, donations of reagents and visiting scientist programs, have successfully led to the development of new research products and revolutionary medical advances by readily placing PCR technology in the hands of innovative scientists worldwide.
While Roche’s foundational PCR patents recently expired in the U.S., its patent portfolio contains more than 800 patents and applications related to PCR products and methods. Roche will realize the potential of its continuing patents through new licenses and other alliances that encourage the use of real-time PCR technologies.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 2004 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 21.7 billion Swiss francs, while the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 7.8 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet (www.roche.com).
Additional information
- Roche Diagnostics
Roche announces settlement agreement with Promega
All PCR-related litigation resolved to satisfaction of both parties
Roche today announced that it has settled with Promega all PCR-related litigation in the United States, Europe and Australia, including the original lawsuit initiated by Roche Diagnostics in 1992. The specific terms of the parties’ agreement are confidential.
"Roche Diagnostics is pleased to reach this agreement with Promega and to close more than a decade of litigation between the two companies," said Heino von Prondzynski, CEO Division Roche Diagnostics and Member of Roche’s Corporate Executive Committee. "Moving forward, we will focus on realizing the potential of our patent portfolio, which contains more than 800 patents and applications related to PCR products and methods, particularly those for real-time PCR technologies."
The amount of the settlement is covered by existing litigation provisions in the Roche financial statements. There are no additional impacts on Roche's net income from the announcement of this settlement.
About the Polymerase Chain Reaction Technology (PCR)
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a Nobel-prize winning nucleic acid amplification technology that allows minute amounts of genetic material to be amplified into billions of copies in just a few hours. It has enabled many significant advances in the Human Genome project, DNA fingerprinting and in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
PCR is most widely used to perform testing that identifies whether or not a specific gene sequence is present, such as that indicating if a patient has been infected with HIV. Beyond its wide medical applications, PCR has been used to help in our understanding of evolution, human migration and even for use in food safety.
Roche has developed and encouraged the utility of PCR technology in a wide variety of areas through the company’s global licensing programs. These programs, combined with a broad spectrum of scientific collaborations, postdoctoral fellowships, donations of reagents and visiting scientist programs, have successfully led to the development of new research products and revolutionary medical advances by readily placing PCR technology in the hands of innovative scientists worldwide.
While Roche’s foundational PCR patents recently expired in the U.S., its patent portfolio contains more than 800 patents and applications related to PCR products and methods. Roche will realize the potential of its continuing patents through new licenses and other alliances that encourage the use of real-time PCR technologies.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 2004 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 21.7 billion Swiss francs, while the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 7.8 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet (www.roche.com).
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.
Additional information
- Roche Diagnostics