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Chr. Hansen and Nestle Settle Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) Patent Litigation (2)

Chr. Hansen and Nestle Settle Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) Patent Litigation case

ABOUT CHR. HANSEN.

Chr. Hansen is a worldwide very successful bioscience company that manufactures natural ingredients for food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agriculture firms. Chr. Hansen has been in the business for over 145 years.

HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDES.

They are complex sugar compounds that are produced in the mammary gland by lactating human mothers. They are generally sources of carbohydrates whose blends are mixed with different constituents in human milk.

They are specially made for a baby to protect against infections, many immune related diseases and good for neurological development.

CHR. HANSEN AND NESTLE PATENT LITIGATION CASE ON HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDES (HMO).

Through Jennewein Biotechnologie, in October Jan 2020, Chr. Hansen acquired a dominant patent portfolio relating to the production of Human Milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). But before the accession of the patent to Chr. Handen, Jennewein had already demanded an injunction at the courts of Mannheim, Germany in January 2020 against Nestle.

It is suspected that Nestle’s baby formula products consisting of HMO from a third party infringed on various patent rights of Jennewein. The infringed products were infant formula called Beba Supreme made of Fucosyllactose ( 2′-FL), HMOs 2′- and the Lacto-N- Neotetraose (LNnT).

SETTLEMENT OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDES (HMO) PATENT LITIGATION CASE

However, after Chr. Hansen acquired the patent rights, the case of Jennewein was now in their hands. They inherited the ongoing litigation in the court of Mannheim, Germany. 

As everyone was looking forward to the case dispute, in May 2020, Chr. Hansen and Nestle have agreed to make a settlement on the legal case. Chr. Hansen has resolved the matter by taking down the case against Nestle in court, and Nestle has also revoked the pending disagreement.

The Chr Hansen company did not only drop the case, but they also chose not to disclose to the public the exact reason why it withdrew the case from the court when asked by someone . In the statement, they said that “they are planning to strengthen and widen the acquired rights of the intellectual property on the Human Milk Oligosaccharide”.