Mass. Firm to Appeal $431M Damages for Stent Patent Infringement

A jury says Boston Scientific Corp. must pay $431 million in damages in a patent dispute over the medical device maker’s drug-coated stents.

The company said that federal jury in Marshall, Texas reached the damages award in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Dr. Bruce Saffran. The jury found that Boston Scientific’s Taxus Express and Taxus Liberte stents infringe on a patent that Saffran holds.

Boston Scientific argues the verdict is unsupported by evidence and the law. The Natick, Massachusetts-based company plans to try to overturn the verdict in post-trial motions. If that’s unsuccessful, Boston Scientific says it will appeal.

Stents are tiny, mesh-wire tubes that prop open arteries after they have been surgically cleared of fatty plaque.