A federal jury handed Marine Polymer Technologies Inc. a $29.4 million verdict in a four-year-old patent infringement lawsuit against HemCon Medical Technologies Inc. over bio-compatible polymers used to make hemostatic bandages.

Danvers, Mass.-based Marine Polymer sued its Portland, Ore.-based competitor in March 2006, accusing it of violating MPT’s patent for “Biocompatible Poly-ß-I→4-N-Acetylglucosamine.” Last year a jury in the U.S. District Court for New Hampshire found that HemCon’s ChitoFlex hemostatic bandages infringed the MPT patent, which it uses to make its SyvekPatch bandage, according to court documents.

On April 30 the jury awarded $29.4 million in damages to Marine Polymer, a ruling HemCon said (PDF) it plans to appeal, citing its claim that it derives the polymer using a different process than Marine Polymer.

Marine Polymer president and CEO Sergio Finkielsztein said his company plans to "seek accounting" for any of HemCon’s infringing sales this year, which are not covered by the verdict. MPT also plans to seek a permanent injunction barring HemCon from selling any more infringing products in the U.S.