Volcano appeals loss to St. Jude Medical in FFR war

March 19, 2014 By Brad Perriello Leave a Comment

Volcano (NSDQ:VOLC) appealed the loss of a patent infringement lawsuit it brought against St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) over a pair of fractional flow reserve patents, after a federal judge in Delaware tossed the case this week.

Earlier this month Volcano agreed to stipulate that St. Jude is not infringing the patent, based on a claim construction by Judge Richard Andrews of the U.S. District Court for Delaware, but vowed to appeal the claim construction.

Volcano sued St. Jude in a Delaware federal court in April 2013, alleging infringement of a pair of patents covering its PrimeWire FFR device by St. Jude’s competing PressureWire Certus and Aeris devices. The FFR devices are designed to measure arterial blood pressure.

Last January Andrews construed the term "flexible element" in both of the Volcano patents in favor of St. Jude, according to court documents. Volcano had argued that the term should encompass coils, hypotubes and balloons, but Andrews agreed with St. Jude’s assertion that the "flexible element" term means a coil, according to the documents. That ruling prompted Volcano and St. Jude Medical to stipulate that St. Jude doesn’t infringe the patents, according to the documents and regulatory filings with the SEC.

Andrews dismissed the case March 17 based on Volcano’s stipulation, prompting Volcano to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, court records show.

The technology covered by the patents was invented by researchers at Volcano’s corporate predecessor, Cardiometrics, according to the documents. Volcano alleged that Douglas Corl, Robert Obara and John Ortiz "were the first to invent a pressure sensing guide wire that uses a solid state pressure sensor." The 2 patents, both covering technology for an "Ultra Miniature Pressure Sensor," issued March 5, 2013, to Volcano, court records show.

MTD Micro Molding late president to be inducted into Plastics Hall of Fame
MTD Micro Molding this week announced that its late president Dennis Tully will be inducted into the Plastics Academy’s Plastics Hall of Fame. Tully is one of six posthumous inductees this year, who are elected by living members of the Hall of Fame after a screening process. “These new posthumous inductees proudly represent the length… […]
This neural implant can be both remotely charged and programmed
Engineers at Rice University’s Brown School of Engineering are touting the first neural implant capable of being programmed and charged remotely with a magnetic field. Kaiyuan Yang, Jacob Robinson, Zhanghao Yu and Joshua Chen collaborated to develop the integrated MagNI (magnetoelectric neural implant) microsystem, which could allow imbedded devices such as a spinal cord stimulator… […]
Integer shares up after Street-beating Q4
Integer Holdings (NYSE:ITGR) shares were up at close today on fourth-quarter results that topped the consensus forecast, despite a big dip in profits. The Plano, Texas-based company posted profits of $11 million, or 33¢ per share, on sales of $325.6 million for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2019, for a 57.2% bottom-line slide on sales… […]
These young medtech companies raised the most money in 2019
Medical device industry insiders may very well remember 2019 as the year that IPOs came back — but another sign that the U.S. economy has left the Great Recession far behind. Among the top investment deals in the space, half involved public offerings, according to the MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and CB Insights. Total investments in… […]
Teleflex Medical OEM acquires medical tubing company
Teleflex Medical OEM (Wayne, Pa.), today announced the acquisition of IWG High Performance Conductors (HPC), a medical tubing and wire components manufacturer. The addition bolsters Teleflex Medical OEM’s position in the arena of custom-engineered medical devices and its ability to provide clients with technologies used in electrophysiology, drug- and stent-delivery and neurovascular interventions, according to… […]
Integer expands to Israel
Integer Holdings (NYSE:ITGR) today announced it has acquired medtech manufacturer Inomec, formally establishing its presence in Israel. The Plano, Texas-based company said the acquisition will enable it to create an R&D and sales center in the region and adds important catheter design, clinical and pilot manufacturing capabilities to its portfolio. “Acquiring Inomec strengthens our research… […]
Why non-magnetic capacitors matter in medical imaging
The quality of an MRI image depends on the homogeneity, or uniformity, of the magnetic field. Component material choice is paramount; even the smallest trace of magnetism inside an MRI scanner can disrupt the field and harm the quality of an MRI image. Peter Matthews, Knowles Precision Devices Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment uses a… […]
This heart valve can adapt as a child grows
Boston Children’s Hospital is touting a new design that could allow children to maintain the same prosthetic heart valve until adulthood, which could also benefit adults with heart valve defects. Current prosthetic heart valves implanted in children with congenital heart disease are fixed in size, which requires multiple open-heart surgeries during childhood to replace the… […]
Simulating Reality With 3D Printed Medical Models
The medical breakthroughs that cure disease, restore health and prolong life aren’t created in a vacuum. They rely on the convergence of visionary minds and cutting-edge technology. This case study explores how the Jacobs Institute is leveraging 3D printing technology from Stratasys® to elevate medical device innovation and training, using ultrarealistic anatomical models created by… […]
These ‘smart’ bandages could heal chronic woulds
UConn biomedical engineers are touting a wirelessly controlled “smart” bandage and corresponding platform for delivering medications to chronic, non-healing wounds. UConn’s School of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine and School of Engineering comprise the biomedical engineering department, which contributed to developing the smart bandage. Ali Tamayol, an associate professor at UConn, led the development of… […]
How to cook up a successful medtech company
New medical device companies need much more than money to get their businesses started. A medtech-specific accelerator can help with seed funding and positioning for a Series A round. Shai Policker, MEDX Xelerator As we dive into 2020, the medtech sector will continue to offer tremendous opportunity for innovators and investors alike, with growth projected… […]