Medtronic-Axonics Patent Fight Expands to Delaware Court, ITC

Medical device giant Medtronic Inc. lodged patent infringement accusations against rival Axonics Inc. in Delaware federal court and at a federal trade agency over implants that stimulate a patient’s sacral nerve.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Delaware alleges that Axonics copied patented MRI-compatibility technology used in Medtronic sacral neuromodulation, or SNM, bladder- and bowel-control implant devices.

• The suit says two Medtronic patents—US Patent Nos. 8,712,540 and 9,174,059—are infringed by competing Axonics SNM implants.
• Medtronic filed a complaint the same day at the US International Trade Commission targeting the same Axonics SNM ...