About a week before Merz was slated to introduce Xeomin at a major medical meeting, Botox manufacturer, Allergan, has won an immediate injunction blocking the company from selling this product, which is a Botox competitor.
According to Bloomberg News, US. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford in Santa Ana, California issued the injunction against Merz following a trial without a jury. The written findings will be released on March 9th along with an order that specifies precisely how long this injunction will last.
Allergan lawyers sought a court order blocking Merz’s sale of any product that competes with Botox for one year and barring the sale of Xeomin to anyone who has been an Allergan customer. Allergan also seeks the return of ”trade secrets.” Reportedly, some Allergan employees signed contracts with Merz and then delayed giving final notice so they could e-mail company data to themselves.
Merz planned to introduce Xeomin for cosmetic use at the upcoming meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Stay tuned and read our legal advisor’s blog on this hot topic here.
Source: Bloomberg News