MINNEAPOLIS, July 31 /PRNewswire/ --
AGA Medical Corporation ("AGA") today announced that it has won its patent infringement lawsuit against Occlutech GmbH, headquartered in Jena, Germany, and DRABO Medizintechnik, located in Cologne, Germany. AGA is the owner of a European patent (EP 0 808 138) registered in Germany (DE 695 34 505) for intravascular occlusion devices and the method of forming or manufacturing these medical devices. The patent was granted in October 2005.
The action, filed in Dusseldorf in August 2006, requested damages against Occlutech, DRABO, and their CEOs and further requested a permanent injunction prohibiting them from manufacturing and marketing the infringing "Figulla Occluder" line of products. The three-judge panel held that Occlutech and DRABO infringed AGA's patent and granted AGA the right to enforce an order prohibiting the defendants from any manufacture, possession or sale of its infringing products. The court judgment also allows AGA the right to force the immediate destruction of all infringing products in Occlutech's inventory. This preliminary judgment is subject to appeal and becomes final if no appeal is filed.
"We are very pleased with the decision of the court. AGA has made a substantial investment in the development and marketing of its occlusion devices. Our devices are recognized as the leader in numerous clinical publications based on ease of use, superior clinical outcomes and overall product performance. We will continue to vigorously enforce our intellectual property rights worldwide," said Franck Gougeon, President and CEO of AGA.
ABOUT AGA MEDICAL: AGA Medical Corporation, based in Plymouth, Minnesota (just outside Minneapolis), is the leader in developing interventional devices to treat structural heart defects. As a result of the many contributions and creative genius of Dr. Kurt Amplatz, the company has developed and commercialized a series of devices that have revolutionized the treatment of the most common congenital "holes in the heart," such as atrial septal and patent foramen ovale defects. The company is expanding into new areas, including the minimally invasive repair of vascular abnormalities. Over 700 articles have been published in peer reviewed medical publications that support the benefits of AGA Medical devices, such as improved patient outcomes, reduced length of stay and accelerated recovery times for the patient. AGA Medical devices have received regulatory approval and are marketed in over 90 countries with over 250,000 devices shipped to date. For more information visit http://www.amplatzer.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jake Sargent
Brunswick Group LLC
+1-202-393-7337
jsargent@brunswickgroup.com
Web site: http://www.brunswickgroup.com
http://www.amplatzer.com
Jake Sargent of Brunswick Group LLC, +1-202-393-7337, jsargent@brunswickgroup.com
