August 3, 2009
Medtronic and Abbott Settle Stent Patent Litigation
Minneapolis-based Medtronic, Inc. announced a global settlement of all intellectual property litigation with Abbott Laboratories on July 28. Aside from the 400+ million dollar payment, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the resolution was an agreement between the two companies not to sue each other again in the area of coronary stent and stent delivery systems for at least 10 years, subject to certain restrictions. This agreement is especially notable since Medtronic and Abbot had engaged in patent litigation for over a decade, in at least a dozen cases stretching across the United States and Europe.
The patents related to the design of stents, their manufacture and use, and the systems that help physicians insert them into the patient’s body. The stents became the fastest-selling medical devices in recent history after being introduced in 2003.