ZANOPRIMA LIFESCIENCES FILES PATENT INFRINGEMENT ACTION AGAINST HANGSEN INTERNATIONAL TO ENFORCE ITS GROUNDBREAKING ENZYMATIC PROCESS FOR SYNTHESIZING (S)-NICOTINE

WACO, Texas, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 12, 2022, Zanoprima Lifesciences Ltd. ("Zanoprima") filed a Complaint for Patent Infringement against Hangsen International Group Ltd. ("Hangsen") in the U.S. District Court, Civil No. 22-cv-00268 ("Complaint"). In its Complaint, Zanoprima alleges that Hangsen has violated its patent entitled "Process for Making (S)-Nicotine," (U.S. Patent No. 10,913,962) ("Zanoprima's Patent") through Hangsen's manufacture and importation into the U.S. market products containing synthetic nicotine that are manufactured using Zanoprima's patented process.

Zanoprima is the first company to manufacture and make commercially available an enzymatically synthesized form of pure (S)-nicotine – SyNic™ – that is chemically identical to that derived from a tobacco plant but devoid of harmful tobacco-specific nitrosamines, carcinogens, alkaloids, and other impurities that accompany tobacco-derived nicotine.   

Ashok Narasimhan, CEO of Zanoprima, stated, "Over many years, Zanoprima has invested substantial time, resources, intellectual capital, and scientific expertise into developing Zanoprima's groundbreaking enzymatic patented process for synthesizing an (S)-nicotine that is devoid of tobacco-specific nitrosamines and other impurities.  Zanoprima's legal action reflects our company's dedication to vigorously protecting our intellectual property in the U.S. and around the world." 

Zanoprima's complaint alleges that, after publication of Zanoprima's Patent, Hangsen filed a Chinese Patent Application describing a process that copied the process invented by Zanoprima, but Hangsen's patent application was rejected by the Chinese Patent Office in June 2021 citing Zanoprima's patent as prior art. The Complaint also alleges Hangsen imports into the U.S. and sells products containing "alleged high-purity synthetic (S)-nicotine and nicotine products that are marketed and sold under various names including MOTiVO Synthetic S-Nicotine," and that such imported products "are manufactured by a process that practices every step of claim 1" of the Zanoprima Patent.

In addition to seeking damages for infringement, Zanoprima seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to prevent Hangsen from continuing its infringing actions.

"Zanoprima's process for manufacturing SyNic™ represents a technological innovation that provides a fully traceable (S)-nicotine, with high levels of enantiomeric and chemical purity, which is commercially available at prices that rival that of tobacco-derived nicotine. Further, SyNic™ represents the greatest opportunity to facilitate the movement towards a tobacco free world," Mr. Narasimhan said.  

READ THE FULL RELEASE HERE.