TARRYTOWN, N.Y., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer Corporation announced that
it has filed a patent infringement suit against Chronimed, Inc., of
Minneapolis, Minn. on behalf of its Diagnostics Division. The suit charges
Chronimed with infringement of two Bayer patents protecting its MULTISTIX(R)
line of urine reagent test strips, specifically two key assay on the strips
for detecting leukocytes and measuring specific gravity.
The suit, filed in the Federal District Court in South Bend, Ind., alleges
that Chronimed is in violation of the Bayer held patents through its
manufacture and sale of certain products in its DiaScreen line of urine
reagent test strips. Bayer seeks damages and injunctive relief on account of
the infringing Chronimed activities. The suit follows a suit brought by
Chronimed against Bayer on March 5, 1999, in Federal District Court in
Minneapolis, Minn., seeking a declaration that one of the two patents at issue
is invalid and not infringed by Chronimed's DiaScreen strips. Bayer had been
in discussions with Chronimed concerning its infringement claims at the time
that Bayer was sued.
Bayer's MULTISTIX reagent test strips, read visually or by an instrument,
assist the health professional to screen quickly for abnormal body function.
Any abnormal urine test result for protein, blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen,
pH, nitrite, ketone, glucose, specific gravity and leukocytes, provides the
health professional key diagnostic information to assist in determining the
underlying patient illness or condition.
Bayer Corporation, Diagnostics Division, headquartered in Tarrytown, N.Y.,
(http://www.bayerds.com) is the U.S. member of Bayer's Business Group Diagnostics -
one of the largest diagnostics businesses in the world. The company serves
customers in 100 countries with an offering that includes diagnostics systems
in three key segments: Laboratory Testing, Point of Care Testing and Self
Testing. Bayer Diagnostics has approximately 8,000 employees worldwide with
combined 1997 sales of close to $1.7 billion. Bayer Diagnostics is a member
of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $32 billion chemical and pharmaceutical
company based in Leverkusen, Germany.
Bayer Corporation is a research-based company with major businesses in
health care and life sciences and chemicals. The company had 1997 sales of
$9.3 billion and employs more than 26,000 people. Bayer Corporation is
investing $9 billion in capital expenditures and research and development from
1995 through the year 2000. 1998 capital investment and R&D expenditures are
projected to total $1.7 billion. Bayer Corporation, with headquarters in
Pittsburgh, is a member of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $32 billion chemical
and pharmaceutical company based in Leverkusen, Germany.
SOURCE Bayer Corporation
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CONTACT:
Judith Rossi of Bayer Diagnostics,
508-660-4875
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