A judge recently ordered Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division to pay Irish health care products manufacturer Covidien $176.5 million in damages over a patent dispute, Bloomberg reports.
At the conclusion of a non-jury trial, U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven, Conn., ruled that Ethicon infringed three U.S. patents for ultrasonic surgical instruments owned by Covidien.
Ethicon recently suffered another multi-million setback, in the form of an $11.1 million jury award to a woman injured by one of the company’s vaginal mesh implants. That case represented the first of more than 11,000 lawsuits regarding the devices to go to trial.
The vaginal mesh implants were marketed as treatment for pelvic organ prolapse and pelvic organ prolapse. They’ve generated thousands of complaints of health problems, including infection, organ perforation and chronic pain.
According to the Bloomberg story, Arterton ruled that Ethicon infringed three U.S. patents owned by Covidien, and that the patents are valid and enforceable.
The Tyco HealthCare and U.S. Surgical units of Covidien sued Ethicon in 2010, alleging patent infringement.
The report quotes Covidien’s president for advanced surgical technologies as saying: “We will continue to vigorously protect our innovative products, solutions and intellectual property.”
If you have a vaginal mesh implant, you should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns. If you have significant injuries, you should also consult with a mesh lawyer to discuss your legal rights.
See the story here:
https://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/03/johnson_johnson_ordered_to_pay_1.html
