Federal Court Issues Markman Ruling in Favor of Mannatech's Ambrotose® Patents

(Business Wire) Mannatech, Incorporated announced today that the federal court in the Northern District of Texas issued a Markman ruling in the company’s favor against Glycobiotics International Inc., in a patent infringement lawsuit based on Mannatech’s Ambrotose® and Advanced Ambrotose® products

After considering the plain language of the patents, patent prosecution history and briefing and evidence presented by the parties, the Court issued a Markman ruling effectively shutting down Glycobiotics’ interpretation. The Court’s ruling allows Mannatech to continue to pursue its patent infringement claims against Glycobiotics International Inc., with a trial setting expected for late fall.

Mannatech is currently pursuing two patent infringement lawsuits against Glycobiotics International Inc., and K.Y.C. Inc., d/b/a Techmedica Health Inc. The lawsuits, which are still pending, are in response to several competitors using Mannatech’s technology to create and offer copycat products.

“We are encouraged by this ruling that validates our cutting-edge research and development in the ground-breaking field of glyconutrients,” said Terry Persinger, president and CEO of Mannatech. “Our domestic and international patents on our formulations for glyconutritional dietary supplements, Ambrotose® and Advanced Ambrotose®, are a result of years of research and development and we plan to continue protecting these patents against infringement. We believe this favorable ruling should govern future disputes concerning the scope and meaning of these specific patents.”

Glycobiotics challenged Mannatech’s patents by attempting to convince the Court that Mannatech’s patents only cover compositions of highly-purified, pharmaceutical-grade individual saccharides. Mannatech vigorously opposed this narrow construction, asserting that the patents’ language and history make it clear that the patented compositions cover all-natural dietary supplements and are not limited to formulas of individual, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients.