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Federal jury rules Medtronic willfully infringed Edwards' patent
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The US District Court for the District of Delaware has ruled that Medtronic’s CoreValve willfully infringes on Edwards Lifesciences’ United States Cribier transcatheter heart valve patent and has awarded Edwards $394 million in damages. Edwards plans to enforce this verdict and seek a permanent injunction, according to a press release issued by the manufacturer.
In the release, Edwards stated that the willfulness finding will allow the company to seek increased damages of up to three times the amount in the ruling, in addition to attorneys’ fees.
Prior to this verdict, a federal jury ruled in 2010 that the CoreValve willfully infringed on another patent held by Edwards— the US Andersen transcatheter heart valve patent. The ruling was upheld on appeal and Edwards was awarded an initial payment of $84 million, which was made by Medtronic in 2013.
Edwards also stated that a decision is currently pending on the company’s request to enjoin Medtronic’s entrance into the US market and additional damages, and that because some of the sales have been found to infringe both the Andersen and Cribier patents, a portion of the damages awarded in the Cribier case could be reduced.
The Cribier transcatheter heart valve patent expires in December 2017.
In a separate press release, Medtronic stated that the company believes this decision will be overturned on appeal, saying it has prevailed against Edwards in several legal actions related to a European counterpart to this patent and others.
Medtronic anticipates US regulatory approval of the CoreValve for extreme-risk patients by the end of its fiscal year 2014, and plans to sell the device in the country at that time.