Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED) said yesterday that it agreed to settle a quartet of patent infringement lawsuits with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Synthes.
The lawsuits involve 5 patents covering spinal implant technology. Specific terms of the settlement were not announced, “but were to the parties’ mutual satisfaction,” Globus said. All of the lawsuits were brought in the U.S. District Court for Delaware.
Synthes, acquired for $21.3 billion in April 2011, launched the opening salvo when it sued Globus in April 2010 alleging infringement of its 7,326,210 patent covering a “Spinal stabilization device.” In July 2011, Synthes leveled another lawsuit over its 7,846,207 patent for an “Intervertebral implant.”
Another suit was leveled by Synthes in January 2014, accusing Globus of infringing its 8,623,057 patent, again covering a “Spinal stabilization device.” Globus filed the final suit in March 2014, alleging infringement of 2 patents: No. 8,328,872 and no. 8,641,768, both covering an “Intervertebral fusion implant.”