Edwards Lifesciences Initiates Patent Infringement Litigation Against CoreValve, S.A.
IRVINE, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Edwards Lifesciences Corporation , the world leader in the science of heart valves, announced today that its subsidiary, Edwards Lifesciences PVT, Inc., has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against CoreValve, Inc., of Irvine, Calif., in the District Court of Dusseldorf, Germany. The suit seeks relief for alleged infringement of a patent for transcatheter heart valve technology.
"We are committed to protecting our valuable intellectual property as well as the interests of our clinician-inventors who partner with us to transform patient care for people with advanced cardiovascular disease," said Michael A. Mussallem, Edwards' chairman and CEO. The Company has opened discussions with CoreValve on a possible licensing arrangement.
The relevant patent, EP 0 592 410 B1, is co-owned by Dr. Henning Rud Andersen of Aarhus, Denmark, and his colleagues, who licensed it in 1993 to Heartport, Inc., now a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Edwards has an exclusive sublicense to the Andersen patent for cardiovascular applications. The patent relates to a valve prosthesis for implantation by means of a catheter, and the product named in the suit is the CoreValve ReValving System.
About Edwards Lifesciences
Edwards Lifesciences, a leader in advanced cardiovascular disease treatments, is the number-one heart valve company in the world and the global leader in acute hemodynamic monitoring. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Edwards focuses on specific cardiovascular disease states including heart valve disease, peripheral vascular disease and critical care technologies. The company's global brands, which are sold in approximately 100 countries, include Carpentier-Edwards, Cosgrove-Edwards, FloTrac, Fogarty, LifeStent, PERIMOUNT Magna and Swan-Ganz. Additional company information can be found at http://www.edwards.com.
Edwards and FloTrac are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation. Edwards Lifesciences, Carpentier-Edwards, Cosgrove-Edwards, Fogarty, PERIMOUNT Magna and Swan-Ganz are trademarks of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation and are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. LifeStent is a trademark of Edwards Lifesciences AG and is registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Edwards Lifesciences CorporationCONTACT: Media, Nolan Taira, +1-949-250-5070, or Investors, David K.Erickson, +1-949-250-6826
Web site: http://www.edwards.com/