Patent Battle Over: Court Rules in Favor of Johnson & Johnson's Abiomed, No Infringement Found in Getinge Heart Pump Dispute

Jun 11, 2026 08:00 CST Updated 08:00

Johnson & Johnson

Medical Device R&D and Manufacturer

Abiomed

Cardiac System Medical Device Developer

Getinge

Healthcare Service Provider

Maquet

Medical Device Research, Development, Production, and Sales

The Protracted Patent Battle Over Heart Pumps in the Medical Device Industry Finally Yields a Key Result!

After nearly a decade of protracted litigation and multiple reversals, the patent dispute between Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Abiomed and Swedish medical device giant Getinge reached a pivotal ruling on May 28, 2026: The U.S. District Court in Massachusetts officially determined that Abiomed had not infringed any patents, completely clearing its core heart pump products of infringement allegations.

But beware! This war is far from over.

01.A Feud Between Industry Giants That Began in 2016

Many people are unaware that the patent battle between these two industry giants lasted a full decade.

The incident dates back to 2016, when Abiomed, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary focused on the development of heart pumps, proactively initiated litigation.

At the time, Abiomed filed a lawsuit seeking a judicial declaration that its products did not infringe on three heart pump patents held by Maquet, a subsidiary of Getinge, in order to clear obstacles to market sales.

This routine corporate action, taken proactively to enforce intellectual property rights and mitigate patent risks, directly ignited a patent war between the two parties. Maquet promptly filed a counterclaim, and in the ensuing back-and-forth litigation, the number of disputed patents involved escalated from the initial three to six core patents.

The curtain has officially risen on the industry’s top-tier competition centered around the core technology of intravascular heart pumps.

02.The plot twists repeatedly, with an extremely thrilling process.

This lawsuit has drawn significant industry attention due to its dramatic trial proceedings, marked by multiple reversals and a gripping narrative throughout.

In the early stages of the case, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a first-instance judgment, ruling that Abiomed did not infringe upon the relevant rights of Patent No. 10,238,783.

However, the losing party, Maquet, refused to accept the verdict, promptly filed an appeal, and successfully overturned part of the first-instance judgment. It once gained the initiative in the case, plunging Abiomed’s core products into a severe patent crisis.

However, throughout the entire dispute, Maquet never challenged the “judgment of non-infringement” regarding another patent, Patent No. 238, which became a key foreshadowing element in this case.

At that time, the entire cardiovascular device industry was watching closely: once infringement was confirmed, Abiomed’s flagship product would likely face a triple blow of market withdrawal, sales ban, and substantial compensation.

03.Latest Verdict Announced! Abiomed Wins a Resounding Victory

On May 28, 2026, this protracted legal battle reached its latest and most critical final judgment.

Getinge Officially Announces: Subsidiary Maquet Loses Lawsuit Again, Court Fully Supports Abiomed

One-sentence summary of the core judgment:

All intravascular cardiac pump technologies used in Abiomed’s Impella percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) do not infringe upon any of Maquet’s patents involved in the case.

In response to this adverse judgment, the Getinge Group remained remarkably composed, publicly stating that the verdict would not have any negative impact on the company’s financial position or production operations.

However, Maquet, the losing party, has not conceded defeat. The company has officially stated that it is comprehensively evaluating the details of the case and actively assessing all subsequent options for protecting its rights, without ruling out the possibility of further appeal.

04.Key Reminder: The War Has Not Fully Ended

Many people assume that this judgment is final, but in fact, it is not!

The court’s ruling in this instance only concluded one of the patent lawsuits between the two parties.

Currently, another patent lawsuit between Abiomed and Getinge is still proceeding through normal judicial channels. Many uncertainties remain, and the technological rivalry between the two giants continues.

05.Behind the Legal Victory: The Underlying Logic of the Medical Device Industry

Those familiar with the medical device industry understand that patent wars are never merely about rights enforcement; they are, more importantly, battles for market positioning.

As the benchmark product in the global field of minimally invasive cardiac support, Impella is a core device for emergency treatment of critical heart failure and cardiogenic shock. It serves as a key revenue pillar for Johnson & Johnson’s cardiovascular business and has long dominated the global high-end heart pump market.

This victory in court holds significant importance for Johnson & Johnson:

Fully retain the legal sales qualification for Impella in the U.S. market;

Mitigates the critical risks of product delisting and substantial compensation liabilities;

Solidified its leading position in the interventional cardiac pump sector.

Across the medical device industry, from heart valves and stents to high-end assistive devices, the patent offensive and defensive battles among giants have never ceased. Core technology patents serve as both the moat and the trump card for leading enterprises, protecting their own technological achievements while precisely restricting the development of competing products.

This decade-long patent tug-of-war is, in essence, the ultimate contest for dominance over core technologies and global market share.

Interactive Topic

Do you think Maquet will continue to appeal and fight to the bitter end?
How do you view the frequent patent wars among medical device giants? Is it a technological game or market involution?

Join the discussion in the comments and share your thoughts!

# Medical Devices # Industry News #Heart Pump #Impella #Medical Device Patents #Johnson & Johnson