Healthcare Industry News: Biomet
News Release - March 20, 2007
Medtronic Wins Appeal in Patent Dispute with Biomet
MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT ) announced today that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of Medtronic in its on-going patent litigation against Cross Medical Products, Inc., a subsidiary of Biomet, Inc. (BMET). In its decision, the appeals court ruled that Medtronic's current multi-axial pedicle screw products do not infringe any claim of Cross Medical's U.S. Patent No. 5,474,555. Those Medtronic products include the CD HORIZON® LEGACY(TM), VERTEX® and CD HORIZON® SEXTANT® multi-axial screw products. With this significant ruling, Medtronic is free to continue to sell these products."We are pleased that the Federal Circuit appellate court agreed with our position that we did not infringe Biomet's designs," said Pete Wehrly, senior vice-president and president of the Spine and Navigation businesses at Medtronic.
The original case involved several patents surrounding spinal surgery. The lower court found in Medtronic's favor in all instances with the exception of one claim made on the '555 patent. Today's Federal Circuit appellate court decision in Medtronic's favor relates to this '555 claim.
Medtronic is also asserting that Biomet's products infringe certain Medtronic patents and will continue to pursue those claims in court.
About the Spinal Business at Medtronic
Medtronic's spinal business, based in Memphis, Tenn., is the global leader in today's spine market and is committed to advancing the treatment of spinal conditions. Medtronic's spinal business collaborates with world-renowned surgeons, researchers and innovative partners to offer state-of-the-art products and technologies for neurological, orthopedic, oral maxillofacial and spinal conditions. Medtronic is committed to developing affordable, minimally invasive procedures that provide lifestyle friendly surgical therapies. More information about the company and its spinal treatments can be found at www.medtronicspinal.com and its patient-education Web sites, www.back.com, www.iscoliosis.com, www.maturespine.com and www.necksurgery.com.
About Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.
Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 28, 2006. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.
Source: Medtronic
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