Tate & Lyle says US ITC upholds sucralose ruling

LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - Sugar and sweetener group Tate & Lyle (TATE.L) on Tuesday said the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) upheld its initial judgement which ruled against the British group in a sucralose patent-infringement case.

The full six-person ITC in Washington late Monday upheld the ruling given in September 2008 over Tate's case against certain manufacturers of Chinese sucralose, the zero-calorie sweetener.

Around a fifth of Tate's profits are made from sucralose, which is sold under the Splenda brand name, and the group had brought the case against the Chinese manufacturers to test its patents on the super sweetener.

Tate said it will review the ITC's determination in detail and evaluate its possible options in respect of any further appeals through the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. (Reporting by David Jones; Editing by Hans Peters)