SEC FILING SHOWS BOSTON SCIENTIFIC MIRED IN LITIGATION

Boston Scientific said in a recent SEC filing that it is facing numerous lawsuits, including more than 1,000 cases related to its acquisition of heart-device maker Guidant and a series of patent infringement cases with rival devicemakers.

Boston Scientific acquired Guidant in April 2006, and has been embroiled in litigation related to Guidant heart devices ever since.

Out of the 1,175 lawsuits filed against Guidant, approximately 75 are related to product liability for Guidant defibrillators and pacemakers, while 1,100 are individual claims of personal injury from the devices, the firm said in its March 1 SEC filing.

Boston Scientific has set aside $485 million to defend itself against the lawsuits - an increase of $101 million from September 2006. Most of the cases are pending in federal court, but 83 are being pursued under individual state jurisdictions, the firm said, adding that another nine cases have been filed in Canada.

The bulk of federal cases will be heard by one judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, according to Boston Scientific. The first federal court trial is scheduled for July 16. Furthermore, all of the Minnesota state court lawsuits will be overseen by a single judge, with the first state court trial scheduled for Jan. 28, 2008, the firm said.

( http://www.fdanews.com/ddl/34_11/ )