Appellate Court Decides in Favor of Fenwal

LAKE ZURICH, Ill., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided today in favor of Fenwal on a patent lawsuit brought by Haemonetics Corporation against Fenwal and Baxter Healthcare Corporation in 2005, Fenwal announced today. The decision vacates the January 2009 U.S. District Court for Massachusetts verdict against Fenwal as well as the related damages award and injunction.

In its decision today, the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with Fenwal and reversed the lower court’s definition of “centrifugal unit,” a central issue in the case. The appeals court remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings consistent with the appellate court’s decision.

A link to the decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit can be found at http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/opinions/09-1557.pdf.

“This decision brings us meaningfully closer to putting this litigation behind us and assuring blood centers of continued supply of Alyx® kits,” said Dean Gregory, Fenwal senior vice president of Commercial Operations. “Our priority from the beginning has been to make sure we support our customers in ensuring a safe and available blood supply as we defend ourselves against unwarranted claims. I want to thank the many blood centers who stood by us in so many ways as we have worked through the legal process.”

About Fenwal

Fenwal, Inc. is a global medical technology company focused on improving blood collection, filtration, separation, storage and transfusion to ensure the availability, safety and effectiveness of blood components. Fenwal is unique in the depth of its experience and commitment to transfusion medicine. The company offers the broadest range of products for the automated and manual collection of blood and blood components. Fenwal became an independent company in 2007, but its roots go back to 1949 with the founding of Fenwal Laboratories. Fenwal developed the first flexible, single-use container for blood collection, eliminating complications associated with glass containers and allowing blood to be separated into therapeutic components. Today, the company’s products and advanced collection and separation technologies are used to help treat patients on six continents. Fenwal, Inc. is based in Lake Zurich, Illinois. For more information, please visit www.fenwalinc.com.

SOURCE Fenwal, Inc.

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