Abbott Defeats Patent for Flexible Heart Stent on Appeal

U.S. appeals court, without issuing a formal opinion, affirmed a review board’s decision to invalidate a FlexStent patent for an expanding heart stent in a victory for Abbott Laboratories.

• Vascular stents with a structure similar to what’s covered by the patent were widely known, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board said last year
• Abbott’s vascular unit filed the challenge after it was sued by closely held FlexStent in federal court in California in 2018
  • Civil case was put on hold pending this appeal
• NOTE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard arguments on the appeal Nov. 3 ...