VISX loses Nidek patent decision at ITC (International Trade Commisision):
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The International Trade Commission (ITC) last week decided that Japanese manufacturer Nidek is not infringing VISX's US patents for refractive eye surgery devices. It ruled that one of VISX's key patents was "invalid and unenforceable" and that Nidek did not infringe the other contested patent. As the ITC is not a court, VISX can appeal the decision to the US Court of Appeals in Washington. VISX shares lost more ground, dropping nearly 8% to $16.56. In recent weeks the Santa Clara, California-based VISX has been forced to reduce its fees and is now facing numerous class action suits, alleging charges of securities fraud and insider dealing (see Clinica No 898, p 12).