Mission Pharmacal Settles Patent Infringement Suit Against PureTek

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Pharmacal Company today announced that a federal district court in Texas has upheld its patent that covers one of the nation's most prescribed prenatal vitamin brands. "Mission Pharmacal has successfully asserted the dual-iron ('247) patent used in its popular CitraNatal® family of prenatal vitamins, preserving Mission Pharmacal's high quality formulation pregnant women have counted on for years," says Mission Pharmacal General Counsel, Lee Cusenbary.

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The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has entered a consent judgment against PureTek Corporation that requires it to stop manufacturing its RE OB+DHA and PNV OB+DHA products that infringe Mission Pharmacal's '247 patent. "The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirmed the validity of the '247 patent during a reexamination and this ruling reconfirms that validity," Cusenbary says. The patent protects CitraNatal's use of a specific combination of iron that combats iron deficiency anemia before, during, and after pregnancy.

"The dual-iron formulation used in these supplements helps pregnant women get the iron they need, yet it is gentle on the gastrointestinal system," says Nancy Price, CitraNatal Senior Product Manager. "The CitraNatal family of prenatal supplements provides optimal nutrition, which is essential for the health of moms and babies. CitraNatal's gentle but effective patented iron delivery system helps to keep moms more comfortable throughout pregnancy."

This is the second time Mission Pharmacal has successfully asserted this patent, notes Price. In 2010, another generic manufacturer agreed that it had violated the patent and took its product off the market.

"We have successfully asserted the '247 patent in the past, and will continue to protect the patented formulation incorporated in CitraNatal Assure®, CitraNatal® 90 DHA, and CitraNatal B-Calm®, as well as Mission's Ferralet® 90 prescription iron supplement, with equal vigor against any generic intrusion," adds Cusenbary.

This ruling preserves Mission Pharmacal's exclusive use of the formulation featured in the CitraNatal and Ferralet 90 products until 2020.

For more information about CitraNatal, visit citranatal.com or ferralet.com.

About Mission Pharmacal Company
Mission Pharmacal is a privately held pharmaceutical company based in San Antonio, Texas.  For more than 65 years, the company has been committed to meeting the unique healthcare needs of women throughout all stages of life, pediatric patients, and those persons dealing with urologic and dermatologic conditions. The company has a proven track record of identifying unmet healthcare needs and developing both innovative prescription and over-the-counter products to meet these needs. Using only the purest ingredients and FDA-approved methods of manufacturing, Mission Pharmacal provides physicians and consumers with the highest quality pharmaceutical and dietary supplement products on the market today. Mission Pharmacal is a proud national supporter of the March of Dimes Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. For more information about the company, visit missionpharmacal.com.

SOURCE Mission Pharmacal Company