Sabinsa Corporation pioneered market development efforts for Garcinia cambogia extract (trademarked Citrin®) in the early 1990’s. Since then, Garcinia extract has gained recognition as an efficacious ingredient in weight management formulations. Several related research papers on hydroxycitric acid, the active principle in the extract, have been published globally in the last ten years.
The first product to be marketed was the calcium salt of hydroxycitric acid. Subsequently, end user needs prompted the development of water soluble salt forms.
In July 1998, Sabinsa Corporation was granted a patent for Citrin®K -"Potassium hydroxycitrate for the suppression of appetite and induction of weight loss" by the United States Patent and Trademark office. In light of this marketing history, it is surprising that Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation (VMSRF), a research and development organization in Bangalore, India, recently filed a law suit against several companies, including Sami Labs Ltd., Bangalore, Sabinsa Corporation, USA, and other multinational companies.
The claim in the law suit was that the above companies infringed on their patented process for preparing Garcinia double salt. A postponement in legal proceedings effected by the Madras High Court has been annulled on application.
Sami Labs Ltd and Sabinsa Corporation maintain that we have our own patent for the manufacture of Mono Salts (Citrin®K) and that our process for manufacturing double salt is not covered by the recently issued VMSRF patent.
