A Dutch court has ruled that Cordis Europa N.V., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, infringes a Boston Scientific balloon catheter patent. The following catheter products were found to infringe: the Cypher Raptor, the Cypher Select, the Bx Velocity Raptor, the Bx Sonic, the U-Pass, and the Aqua T3. The court's decision gives Boston Scientific the right to damages and to an injunction against Cordis' manufacturing, using, or selling the infringing catheters in the Netherlands, Boston Scientific Corporation announced here.

"We are very pleased with the decision. It confirms our belief that Boston Scientific is at the forefront of innovation and has fundamental intellectual property in the treatment of coronary artery disease," said Paul LaViolette, Boston Scientific's COO. "We are hopeful that it will provide an opportunity for a fair and reasonable settlement of the numerous disputes between our two companies," he added.

Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer, and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties.