Igen International Inc. said this week that a federal court has refused to lift or amend a court injunction barring Roche Holding AG from selling diagnostic products based on Igen technology to physicians' offices and laboratories.

The U.S. District Court in Greenbelt granted Gaithersburg-based Igen's request for the injunction in July 1998.

The injunction was issued until a lawsuit over Boehringer Mannheim GmbH's sales to physicians' offices is settled, Igen said.

Publicly held Igen sued Boehringer in 1997 for breach of contract, saying Boehringer's sales to physicians' offices violated an agreement in 1992 limiting sales to hospitals, blood banks and clinical-reference laboratories.

Boehringer was allowed to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests based on Igen technology.

Roche inherited the case when it bought Boehringer.

Sam Wohlstadter, Igen's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "This latest development clears the way for us to pick up a significant number of new customers."

Igen said the ruling this week will result in Igen gaining 200 physicians' office customers from Roche.

The company said it estimates that physicians' office laboratories represent a potential $10 million market worldwide for its line of Elecsys diagnostic products.

Pub Date: 3/27/99