Court Overturns Patent Verdict Against Cordis

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a finding that Cordis, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), had infringed on a patent for one of Boston Scientific’s coronary stents. The court ruled Friday that Boston Scientific’s Ding patent was invalid, reversing a Delaware jury’s 2005 decision that Cordis’ Cypher sirolimus-eluting coronary stent infringed on the patent. The patent had claimed a two-layer drug coating for a drug-eluting stent, which the Federal Circuit found to be obvious in light of earlier issued patents, according to a statement from J&J.