JENA, Germany, September 26, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Occlutech, a leading European developer of implants for treating structural heart disease today announced that its CEO, Mr Tor Peters, has obtained a favorable ruling from the district court in Düsseldorf in patent litigation initiated personally against him by St Jude AGA Medical.
On the 10th of May 2011, Occlutech GmbH won an over 5 years long patent lawsuit initiated by St Jude-AGA Medical at the German Supreme Court in Karlsruhe regarding infringement of patent EP 808 138.
In further proceedings at the Regional Court in Düsseldorf, St Jude-AGA Medical accused the CEO of Occlutech GmbH, Mr Tor Peters, privately for alleged violation of patent EP 808 138. In a ruling dated September 8th 2011, this claim has now also been rejected by the District Court in Düsseldorf. The ruling is subject to appeal by St Jude-AGA Medical.
Tor Peters says; “It is amazing and quite shocking to see a company that you would normally consider ethical, going to such length in trying to kill a competitor by also going after private individuals with this kind of massive and unjustified litigation. Obviously we are very happy that the courts in Germany now ruled in our favor as courts in The UK, The Netherlands and Sweden have done before.”
Occlusion devices are used to treat structural heart disease, including structural heart defects and abnormalities such as Atrial Septal Defects, (ASD), and Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO, an undesired channel between the heart’s two atria, present in up to 25% of the population), in minimally invasive, non-surgical procedures. The market for PFO occluders is expected to expand significantly as the link between PFO and stroke, that is the third most common cause of death, as well as severe migraine becomes increasingly well documented.
SOURCE Occlutech GmbH
