Boston Scientific Wins Patent Case Against J

Boston Scientific Corp. said a German court ruled that rival Johnson & Johnson infringed on the company’s patents for stents, tiny metal tubes that hold open heart arteries. The ruling gives Boston Scientific, a maker of products used to clear clogged arteries, the right to obtain an injunction to prevent Johnson & Johnson from selling its BX Velocity stent in Germany as well as damages, which weren’t disclosed, Boston Scientific spokesman Paul Donovan said.

Johnson & Johnson said it plans to appeal. A court in the Netherlands ruled in Johnson & Johnson’s favor in a similar dispute with Boston Scientific in March, a Johnson & Johnson spokesman said.

Stents, which are used to keep arteries open after they’ve been cleared in an angioplasty procedure, generate annual sales of more than $2.2 billion.

Shares of Natick, Mass.-based Boston Scientific rose 65 cents to close at $15.93, while New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson fell 71 cents to close at $97.80, both on the NYSE.