Glaxo Unit Sues Rival in Patent Dispute

A unit of GlaxoSmithKline, the No. 2 drug maker, has alleged in a lawsuit that smaller rival Accumed Inc. has infringed its patent on Beano, a dietary supplement that helps prevent gas.

Glaxo’s Jersey City, N.J.-based Block Drug Co. alleges that Accumed sells food enzyme tablets that violate Block’s 1995 patent on Beano, an anti-flatulence enzyme also known as alpha-galactosidase. CVS Corp. and Eckerd Corp. drugstores market the tablets under different names, according to the complaint filed in federal court in Newark, N.J.

The owner of privately held Accumed, Burgise Palkhiwala, said he had not seen the complaint but denied any infringement.

He said Block attorneys contacted his company more than a year ago and he changed the claims of his product.