Sources inform ''Globes'' that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Alma Lasers Ltd.’s Accent treatment for wrinkles. The company has also begun the process of registering the product for treating cellulite.
Alma Lasers president Ziv Karni said, “We intend to begin mass sales of the product in the US immediately. I cannot say how many sales we’ll have because we’re a private company, but I can tell you that we’re challenging every company in the industry, including the Israeli companies. We’ll also threaten sales by Syneron Medical Ltd. (Nasdaq: ELOS).”
Alma Lasers recently settled patent legislation with Palomar Medical Technologies Inc. of the US, and subsequently reached a licensing agreement with the company.
Alma Lasers also announced today that it has also filed suit against Thermage Inc. in a Delaware court on the grounds that Thermage’s patents are invalid. Last year, Thermage claimed that Alma Lasers was “apparently” violating its patent on using lasers for skin tightening, but did not file a lawsuit.
Karni said today, “We decided to take preemptive action against them.” He added that Alma Lasers had triple Thermage’s sales worldwide. Thermage had $50 million in sales in 2006. Alma Lasers has hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.
In March 2006, TA Associates acquired the controlling interest in Alma Lasers for $150 million.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 29, 2007
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