US extended ‘exclusive use’ period for Syngenta’s herbicide mesotrione

Syngenta announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended the exclusive use data period for the herbicide active ingredient mesotrione for one additional year, from June 4, 2013, until June 4, 2014. During the exclusive use period, third parties are not permitted to cite data that support the mesotrione registration without the permission of Syngenta as the original registrant.

Syngenta’s right to petition for this extension was provided by an incentive in the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA). By making the investment necessary to obtain registrations of minor crops, registrants can extend the original 10-year exclusive use period for a maximum of three years—one year for every three minor use crops registered. The third-year extension for Syngenta was approved for the minor use crop registrations of okra and blackberries.

"This is a great incentive for companies to pursue minor use registrations which contribute greatly to the production of healthy and abundant fruits and vegetables,” said John Abbott, Syngenta Regulatory Affairs team lead.

The active ingredient mesotrione is found in several top-performing Syngenta herbicide brands, including Callisto®, Callisto® Xtra, Halex® GT, Lumax®, Lumax® EZ, Lexar®, Lexar® EZ and Zemax™ herbicides.