CIBA Vision alleges Vistakon violated lens patents

Atlanta-CIBA Vision Corp. said it is asking a federal judge in Florida to block Johnson & Johnson's Vistakon division from making, selling, and distributing silicone hydrogel contact lenses that it claims infringe upon its patents.

The motion seeks a temporary restraining order to block the planned U.S. launch of Vistakon's AcuVue Oasys lenses, which were introduced in Europe in April and due in U.S. eye-care professionals' offices this month.

A hearing was scheduled for Aug. 9 in the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida, according to CIBA Vision spokeswoman Kristie Madara.

"Ultimately, in a full trial on the merits, CIBA Vision will seek to prevent J&J/Vistakon permanently from infringing on these proprietary intellectual property rights," the company said.

Vistakon officials said their product does not infringe on the CIBA patent, and called the Nicolson patents "invalid and unenforceable." Vistakon had filed a lawsuit in February seeking a ruling on the patents.

"We are very excited about the U.S. introduction of AcuVue Oasys, and encourage eye-care professionals not to let CIBA's recent filing of this disputed motion affect adoption of AcuVue Oasys," Vistakon said in a prepared statement.