Jury Awards Mallinckrodt $9.5M In Nitric Oxide Patent Suit

By Editorial Team

A Delaware federal jury awarded Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals almost $9.5 million on Friday, finding that French industrial gas company Airgas Healthcare infringed patents covering its inhaled nitric oxide treatment.

The jury's decision came after Mallinckrodt filed a lawsuit against Airgas Healthcare, alleging infringement of patents related to nitric oxide delivery devices and systems for compensating long-term sensitivity drift of electrochemical gas sensors exposed to nitric oxide.

The specific patents involved in the case were:

• 8,776,794 - Nitric oxide delivery device
• 9,279,794 - Systems and methods for compensating long-term sensitivity drift of electrochemical gas sensors exposed to nitric oxide
• 9,919,118 - Systems and methods for compensating long-term sensitivity drift of electrochemical gas sensors exposed to nitric oxide

The jury found in favor of Mallinckrodt, determining that Airgas Healthcare had indeed infringed on these patents. As a result, Mallinckrodt was awarded $9.5 million in damages.

Representatives from law firms Phillips McLaughlin, Richards Layton, and Sterne Kessler represented Mallinckrodt in the case, while Airgas Healthcare was represented by its legal team.

The case was presided over by Judge Richard G. Andrews in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

This verdict highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries and serves as a reminder of the legal consequences of patent infringement.