LycoRed Files Lawsuit Against Parry and Valensa for Infringement of Lycopene Patents

ORANGE, N.J., March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LycoRed Limited and Lycored Corporation ("Lycored"), leading developers and marketers of ingredients for food fortification, dietary supplements and food coloring, including Lyc-O-Mato® lycopene product, announced today that on March 19 they filed a lawsuit against E.I.D. Parry Ltd. and Valensa International for patent infringement.

LycoRed, a science-based Israeli company with over 15 years of experience, claims Parry infringed upon three patents, violating the company's science on the composition, process and applications for lycopene products. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, for infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,515,018; 5,837,311; and 5,965,183.

LycoRed alleges that Parry/Valensa engaged in acts of infringement by making, using and selling its tomato lycopene products in the United States, and has therefore placed its customers in the position of doing so as well.  

LycoRed is asking the Court to grant an injunction to stop sales of, and to recall, all products that infringe on the noted patents and to award damages to compensate the company for the unlawful violations.

"Parry Nutraceuticals unlawfully leveraged our proprietary science to produce and market its Tomato Lycopene Complex," said Morris Zelkha, president and CEO of LycoRed.  "Parry, however, has not offered any scientific research to demonstrate that its lycopene products have the same clinical attributes as Lyc-O-Mato®." 

Lyc-O-Mato® has a unique patented particle size of less than five microns and is supported by clinical studies demonstrating high bioavailability and absorption.   

About LycoRed

LycoRed Ltd. is a science-based manufacturer of nutrients for use in dietary supplements, medical foods, functional food and beverages and nutricosmetics. The company also offers microencapsulated ingredients, vitamin and mineral premixes, natural colorants, and cosmeceutical products. The company provides fortification solutions, such as dairy products, beverages and powder drinks, bakery products, confectionary and snacks, breakfast cereals, nutritional bars and meat substitutes.  Its flagship product, Lyc-O-Mato®, is a patented, natural lycopene-rich tomato complex, providing a full complement of carotenoids and other organically occurring antioxidants.     

Founded in 1993, LycoRed operates as a subsidiary of Makhteshim Agan Industries Ltd. The company is headquartered in Beer Sheva, Israel with subsidiaries in Yavne, Israel; Ayleford, United Kingdom; Orange, New Jersey; Schaffhausen, Switzerland and Changzhou, China. For more information, please visit www.lycored.com or www.lycopene.com.

SOURCE LycoRed Limited; Lycored Corporation