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Globus Prevails in Life Spine Expandable Fusion Patent Suit

The jury found that Life Spine’s ProLift family of implants infringed several claims of a valid Globus patent.

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By: Sam Brusco

Associate Editor

Photo: mojo_cp/stock.adobe.com

Globus Medical announced that a Delaware jury returned a verdict that’s in favor of Globus in its patent infringement litigation against Life Spine.

The jury found that Life Spine’s ProLift family of implants infringed several claims of a valid Globus patent, and awarded Globus lost profits and reasonable royalty damages. The lawsuit concerned expandable spinal fusion implants, which are an advancement that can help improve spinal surgery outcomes.

“We are pleased with the jury’s decision, which affirms the strength of our intellectual property and the groundbreaking innovation behind our expandable implant technologies,” said Keith Pfeil, Globus President and CEO. “This verdict underscores Globus’s place as a leading innovator in the musculoskeletal field.”

Globus filed the lawsuit against Life Spine in 2021. The action involved a number of products manufactured by Life Spine, and marketed by them and other companies. Life Spine said at the time that it would vigorously fight the allegations of patent infringement and the competitor responded to the competition by filing a “meritless” patent lawsuit.

“We invest in research and development to bring transformative solutions to patients worldwide,” said Kelly Huller, Globus Executive Vice President and General Counsel. “We will not hesitate to enforce our patent rights against those who attempt to use our technology without authorization.”

The company has a separate patent infringement litigation pending against Alphatec, also involving expandable implant and retractor technology.

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