California-based medical device company Axonics has won a patent infringement trial against Medtronic, according to a Sept. 19 report from Global Data.
Medtronic alleged that the company copied three elements of its sacral neuromodulation technology and sought $150 million from the device manufacturer.
The lawsuit, brought before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in 2019, sought to prove that Axonics’ sacral neuromodulation systems, known as r-SNM, infringed U.S. patents No. 8036756, No. 8626314 and No. 9463324 — all of which pertain to the charging, temperature control and wiring system within the device.
Axonics announced that the first commercial implants of the Axonics r-SNM System in the U.S. took place on Oct. 29, 2019.
A California jury determined that Axionics did not infringe on any of Medtronic's patents by way of the technology being deemed obvious, and that Medtronic failed to adequately prove its claims.
"As we have said since this case was first filed in late 2019, our view is that Medtronic’s lawsuit was initiated to stifle competition, limit patient and physician choice, and protect the incumbent’s monopoly in sacral neuromodulation," Raymond Cohen, CEO of Axonics, told Global Data. "We are very pleased with the jury’s finding and continue to remain focused on fulfilling our mission of positively impacting the lives of adults with bladder and bowel dysfunction."
Axonics was recently acquired by medtech company Boston Scientific in a deal valued at $3.7 billion.
"Medtronic respectfully disagrees with the jury’s verdict and will file post-trial motions, and an appeal, if necessary, to overturn this verdict. Additionally, Medtronic will continue fighting to protect and enforce its intellectual property rights with a pending case against Axonics at the International Trade Commission," a Medtronic spokesperson told Becker's.