CINCINNATI - Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, announced in a press release that it has reached an agreement with Hologic Inc., and Hologic subsidiary Suros Surgical Systems Inc., settling litigation in Ohio and dismissing pending cases in Delaware.

The disputes involved patents relating to the Ethicon Endo-Surgery MAMMOTOME Breast Biopsy System, and the Hologic ATEC and EVIVA biopsy devices. Under the terms of the agreement, Ethicon Endo-Surgery will receive $12.5 million from Hologic.

As part of the settlement, Ethicon Endo-Surgery and Hologic will enter into a cross licensing agreement, whereby Hologic will pay ongoing royalties on the sales of ATEC and EVIVA hand pieces, and Ethicon Endo-Surgery will pay ongoing royalties on the sales of the MAMMOTOME MR, effective February 19, 2010.

The cases resolved were in trial in Ohio before US District Court Judge Barrett, and pending trial in Delaware before US District Court Judge Farnan.

"We are pleased to resolve this longstanding litigation with Hologic," said Kevin Lobo, Worldwide president, Ethicon Endo-Surgery. "We firmly stand behind our intellectual property, which allows us to bring innovative products to market and advance patient care."

Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc. is a global leader in minimally invasive and traditional surgical devices for bariatric surgery and many other areas of surgery.
                                                                                      Source: www.ag-ip-news.com