January 15, 2014 - Medtronic Inc. was ordered to pay over $392 million to Edwards Lifesciences Corp. when it lost a patent infringement lawsuit concerning patents on a new heart valve device. Medtronic already paid Edwards $84 million in initial damages last year related to a patent case that is still pending.
The patents-at-suit in the latest lawsuit relate to aortic valves that can be inserted into the heart without the need to crack the chest open - a procedure that many heart patients who need the valves aren't strong enough to tolerate. Both Medtronic and Edwards sell such devices outside the U.S., but Edwards has been the only company selling the valves in the U.S. since they debuted in November 2011.
Edwards plans to ask the judge for an injunction to prevent Medtronic from selling the valves in the U.S.