January 13, 2009 - Edwards Lifesciences Corp. said Jan. 9 the Patents Court in the United Kingdom upheld the validity of Edwards’ U.K. Andersen patent for transcatheter valve technology and had CoreValve Inc.’s invalidity claims dismissed on all grounds.
This case was initiated by CoreValve in the U.K. in September 2007. In response, Edwards counter-sued, claiming infringement of the patent. While the court upheld Edwards’ patent, it found that CoreValve’s specific product design does not infringe. Edwards remains convinced that the product infringes and said it will consider an appeal of this aspect of the case. The ruling has no effect on sales of the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve in the U.K or elsewhere.
Separately, Edwards said it has a lawsuit against CoreValve in the U.S. for infringement of the U.S. Andersen patents. The company said the Federal Patent Court in Munich, Germany, will also rule on the validity of Edwards’ German Andersen patent in early 2009. In October 2008, the District Court of Düsseldorf, Germany, found no infringement of that patent by CoreValve. Edwards appealed that decision.
For more information: www.edwards.com