Ivera Medical has announced that the US District Court for the Southern District of California has denied a motion for summary judgment filed by Catheter Connections in Ivera Medical's lawsuit alleging that Catheter Connections infringes US patent nos. 7,780,794, 7,985,302, and 8,206,514 (consolidated case nos. 12-cv-954-H (RBB), 12-cv-1587-H (RBB)).

Ivera manufactures, markets, and sells the Curos disinfecting port protector, a pioneering device that disinfects and protects the entry port on certain types of valves used with intravenous lines.

On 24 August 2010, the ‘794 patent, on an invention entitled ‘Medical Implement Cleaning Device’, was issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) followed by the issuance of the ‘302 patent on 26 July 2011 and the ‘514 patent on 26 June 2012. These three patents cover key aspects of products used to passively disinfect and protect intravenous access ports.

Catheter Connections moved for summary judgment, asking the court to find that its DualCap Solo and Dual Cap Solo IV-Pole strip products do not infringe any of Ivera’s patents. The court declined, denying Catheter Connections’ motion in its entirety.

Ivera Medical CEO Bob Rogers noted the company is pleased with the court’s decision, which it believes reflects the strength of its disinfecting cap patent portfolio.

"Catheter Connections has taken many liberties with our technology and product development, and this lawsuit is just one of our actions against them. We look forward to taking this issue to trial. Ivera has spent significant resources on its patent portfolio and we will continue to vigorously defend our intellectual property," Rogers added.