Medtronic wins patent dispute damages

Boston Scientific (BS) must pay Medtronic $250 million (130 million pounds) for infringing its patents for three products.

Medtronic announced the findings of the court hearing, which were that BS’s Taxus Express2, Express2, Liberte, Maverick, Maverick2, and Quantum Maverick products infringed Medtronic’s Fitzmaurice and Anderson catheter patents.

BS claimed “non-infringement, invalidity, unenforceability and other equitable relief”, it said.

The Fitzmaurice patents concern angioplasty catheters with narrowed distal ends, which improve the deliverability of angioplasty catheters, while t he Anderson patent encompasses semicompliant angioplasty balloons.

Medtronic noted its Anderson balloons possess the strength to withstand repeated inflations, enabling custom vessel sizing.

The company focuses on “alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world”, it said.

BS says it raised several defences that were not considered by the jury but which will be heard by the District Court at the end of July.

A statement by the company indicated its intention to appeal against the decision at the highest level.