Bausch & Lomb Sues Eye Vitamin Makers for Patent Infringement.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- To protect its significant investment in ocular nutritional research and its patent rights, Bausch & Lomb (NYSE:BOL) today filed a patent infringement lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Rochester against Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., of Waltham, Mass., and its wholly owned subsidiary IVC Industries, Inc., of Freehold, N.J.

The lawsuit charges that Inverness and IVC manufacture and distribute eye vitamins that infringe Bausch & Lomb's patent rights to the unique high-potency antioxidant and mineral formula in Bausch & Lomb's Ocuvite(R) PreserVision(TM) nutritional supplements. Ocuvite PreserVision is the only dietary supplement demonstrated to preserve eye health and vision in the National Eye Institute's landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study.

Bausch & Lomb co-developed the formula with the National Eye Institute and holds its worldwide patent rights under a license agreement with the National Institutes of Health.

Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company, dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life for consumers around the world. Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products. The Bausch & Lomb name is one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Founded in 1853, the Company is headquartered in Rochester, New York. Bausch & Lomb's 2004 revenues were $2.2 billion; it employs approximately 12,400 people worldwide and its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information about the Company can be found on the Bausch & Lomb Web site at www.bausch.com. Copyright Bausch & Lomb.