Terumo prevails in patent suit against Vascular Solutions

Vascular Solutions is discontinuing its R-Band hemostasis device.--Courtesy of Vascular Solutions

Terumo has come out ahead in a patent spat with Vascular Solutions, and the latter company will stop manufacturing and selling a device Terumo said infringed on its intellectual property.

At issue was Vascular Solutions' R-Band Radial Hemostasis Device, designed to wrap around a patient's wrist and stop access-point bleeding after an arterial access procedure. In February, Terumo filed suit, claiming Vascular Solutions' device infringed on the patents for its TR Band Radial Compression Device, seeking an injunction on production and distribution.

Vascular Solutions elected to voluntarily discontinue the device, not admitting any infringement in the process, and launched the next-generation Vasc Band on May 1, CEO Howard Root told FierceMedicalDevices.

Now that Vascular Solutions will cease R-Band sales, Terumo can get back to business growing its interventional device market share, segment President James Rushworth said.

"We are thankful for the opportunity to successfully defend our TR Band device, which is a critical part of our transradial solutions portfolio," Rushworth said in a statement. "As a market leader, Terumo is committed to doing what is right for our business and, when appropriate, we will vigorously protect our investments, assets and intellectual property."

The patent loss comes as Vascular Solutions squabbles with Boston Scientific ($BSX) over extension catheters. The company is suing the medical device giant, claiming Boston Scientific's recently launched Guidezilla "is one of the most blatant plagiarisms of a patented medical device," Root said, ripping off even the language on the box of Vascular Solutions' GuideLiner, launched in 2009.

For its part, Boston Scientific said it is aware of the suit and believes it is without merit.

- read Terumo's statement

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the nature of Vascular Solutions retirement of R-Band. We regret the error.