Court Denies Medtronic Motion in ICD Lawsuits

Medtronic Inc.’s (NYSE:MDT) motion for summary judgment on grounds of federal preemption in the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) lawsuits pending in the Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) in Minneapolis was denied. Medtronic believes it has meritorious defenses to the litigation and intends to seek court approval to appeal today’s order. The company’s motion was filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota before Judge James Rosenbaum, the federal judge overseeing the Medtronic MDL. This ruling was the first of a series of procedural motions that the company has filed in this litigation. In its motion, Medtronic said that the system Congress established to regulate vital medical devices allows companies to produce life-saving innovations under an umbrella of federal oversight, governed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has said it is critical that its regulations pre-empt or supersede state law claims. To date, there has been no confirmed serious injury or death due to the mechanism that was the subject of Medtronic’s February 2005 field action. The company continues to test devices and report the findings to physicians and patients. Medtronic routinely provides updates on all of its pacemakers and ICDs via its Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management (CRDM) Product Performance Report, which is available online at www.medtronic.com. Medtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is the world’s leading medical technology company, alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for people with chronic disease. Its Internet address is www.medtronic.com.