ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601240068
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CINCINNATI
SOURCE: Associated Press
The main patent for olestra, Procter & Gamble Co.'s no-calorie fat replacement, will expire Thursday unless the Food and Drug Administration approves its use.
FDA Commissioner David Kessler could decide by Jan. 31 whether to approve olestra for use in salty snack chips made by P&G and other producers, FDA spokesman Brad Stone said Tuesday.
P&G hopes to obtain FDA approval, which the company could use to extend for two years its main patent for olestra. But even if the main patent expires, P&G holds more than 60 other patents for olestra, plus the expertise acquired in developing it, spokeswoman Sydney McHugh said.
``People can't violate those patents,'' McHugh said. ``We believe we have good proprietary protection for olestra running well into the next century.''
P&G said it has spent more than $200 million in the last 25 years to develop and seek market approval for olestra. Analysts have put the spending at about $300 million.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group, told the FDA that olestra can cause diarrhea and could harm people by chasing cancer-fighting nutrients out of the body. P&G said its research showed olestra is safe.
LENGTH: Short : 34 linesby CNB