UK Court gives Smith & Nephew right to Appeal in RENASYS patent litigation

Jul 31 2010

The Advanced Wound Management division of Smith & Nephew, Inc., a subsidiary of Smith & Nephew plc. (LSE: SN; NYSE: SNN) notes the finding of the Patents Court of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales in the patent litigation brought by Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI). In that case, the Court found that parts of the Smith & Nephew RENASYS™ EZ and RENASYS GO Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Systems have infringed the patents EP0853950 and EP0777504 in the United Kingdom.  Today the Court has given Smith & Nephew the right to Appeal this decision.  Our full range of RENASYS products remains on the market.

"We are delighted that the Appeal Court will review the decision and that we are still able to supply our full range of RENASYS Negative Pressure products on the UK market," said Robin Carlstein, Senior Vice President of Advanced Wound Devices at Smith & Nephew.  "We are proud of the fact that we are bringing our customers and patients real choice in this important therapy area."

Smith & Nephew entered the NPWT market in the United Kingdom in 2007 to provide patients and clinicians with a choice.  Last year, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ruled in favour of Smith & Nephew on patent EP0626720 and allowed it to supply the RENASYS system with Foam as well as Gauze to patients and clinicians in the United Kingdom. This decision enabled  the company to continue its aim of tailoring NPWT to meet the unique needs of each patient based on the specific requirements of their wounds. 

The RENASYS System enables clinicians to tailor NPWT to meet their patients' unique needs and the specific requirements of their wounds, with clear improvements in patient comfort, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.