Pharmaceutical company Allergan Inc has reportedly filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against a Canadian drug company that is attempting to manufacture and market a generic version of Latisse.
The relevant patents for Latisse expire “as late as mid-2024,” reports the Wall Street Journal. But Apotex Inc seeks to challenge those patents, allegedly claiming that two Latisse patents are neither valid nor enforceable. The company went so far as to file an application with the FDA to create and market a generic version of Latisse.
This conflict represents only the latest attempt to compete with Allergan in the market for eyelash enhancing drugs. In 2007, several companies were accused of using the same ingredients (topical prostaglandins) in their eyelash enhancement products.
Jan Marini Skin research, one company then accused of violating the patent, said it had reviewed the patents pertaining to Latisse ingredients and determined that no violation had occurred. Another company, Cayman Chemical Co., reportedly said that all patents on the actual Latisse compound had expired and that Allergan’s patent pertains to the method of using it. (via LA Times)
Right now, Latisse is the only product available that actually stimulates eyelash growth. Applying it daily to the base of the upper eyelids can result in longer, darker, fuller eyelashes. Allergan is also known for marketing the popular injectables Botox and Juvederm.
Read more about Latisse in San Antonio. Presented by San Antonio Cosmetic Surgery.