Irvine heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp. said Tuesday a German court upheld a patent it holds for a new type of less-invasive heart valve.
The company also said it succeeded in having invalidity claims against its patent by CoreValve Inc., an Irvine rival that’s now part of Minnesota-based Medtronic Inc., dismissed.
The decision from Germany’s federal patent court resulted from a countersuit that CoreValve filed in response to a patent infringement suit that Edwards filed in 2007.
Edwards is “very pleased” that its patent was upheld, said Larry Wood, a corporate vice president who oversees its less-invasive heart valve program, in a statement.
Less-invasive valves, which Edwards sells under its Sapien banner, are seen as the biggest development in heart valves in years. They are inserted in patients via a catheter through a vein in the leg or through the ribs, instead of during open-heart surgery.
CoreValve, which Medtronic bought for $700 million last year, is Edwards’ primary rival for less-invasive valves.
Both companies sell products in Europe and are pursuing U.S. approvals.
