SkinMedica Files Patent and Trade Secret Action Against Histogen

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SkinMedica®, Inc. announced that it has initiated a patent and trade secret action against Histogen, Inc., Histogen Aesthetics, LLC and Dr. Gail Naughton, founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Histogen and Histogen Aesthetics. Dr. Naughton was a co-founder of Advanced Tissue Sciences or ATS, which initiated bankruptcy proceedings in 2002. SkinMedica acquired several assets from ATS, including intellectual property encompassing its NouriCel® technology. The complaint seeks damages and an injunction against the defendants for the development and manufacture of aesthetic and therapeutic products using SkinMedica’s patented conditioned cell culture media technology.

The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, seeks relief against the defendants for infringing SkinMedica’s U.S. Patents No. 6,372,494 and/or 7,118,746. The ‘494 and ‘746 patents, which were filed in 1999 and 2000, respectively, relate to methods and uses of SkinMedica’s proprietary conditioned cell media technology. The complaint also seeks relief for the misappropriation of SkinMedica trade secrets and confidential information by Histogen, Inc., Histogen Aesthetics, LLC and Dr. Naughton.

SkinMedica is a privately held company marketing both prescription and aesthetic products to dermatologists and other health care professionals. The company's full line of products, which is sold through physicians, includes TNS Recovery Complex® with NouriCel® to help improve the appearance of the skin. SkinMedica is based in Carlsbad, California. For more information, visit www.skinmedica.com.