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U.S. District Court Orders Recall of Accused Curos® Tips™SALT LAKE CITY --(Business Wire)-- Catheter Connections, Inc. announced that on September 11, 2014, the U.S. District Court in Utah found Ivera Medical Corporation in contempt of the Court's Preliminary Injunction order, issued on April 24, 2014, prohibiting Ivera from selling accused Curos Tips on the grounds that they were substantially likely to infringe two of Catheter Connections' DualCap® patents. The Court found that Ivera had violated the Court's order by shipping a new model of Curos Tips (referred to as "Rev. G") that is not colorably different from the enjoined Curos Tips. Among other things, the Court ordered Ivera to immediately recall all of these redesigned caps from all of Ivera's distributors. "The Court got it right-the grave and extraordinary remedy of contempt is warranted. Ivera flouted the Court's preliminary injunction order and misrepresented to innocent customers that its 'redesigned product clearly avoids the asserted patents1,' " said Vicki Farrar, Founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of Catheter Connections. "We believe hospitals and distributors want to respect our patents and will not intentionally infringe them. The Court pointed out that Ivera actively promoted the redesigned Curos Tips product on its website, directly to customers and at trade shows using the same pacaging, literature, and images that it had used for the enjoined Curos Tips device. We believe these actions have caused confusion, leaving distributors and healthcare providers uncertain and unable to know which versions of Curos Tips are enjoined. "We believe the Court's order is a signal to the market that Ivera's strategy of trying to redesign around Catheter Connections' patent portfolio puts hospitals and distributors in a potential supply disruption dilemma as we will continue to protect our patents," said Ms. Farrar. "Catheter Connections offers the complete solution to reducing deadly IV connector contamination with its DualCap System™. It is the only patented and FDA cleared disinfecting cap system that offers the protection and disinfection of both the luer access valve and the male luer connector, without getting any toxic disinfectant into the infusion line. We are moving forward and continuing to focus on what really matters: helping to save lives by reducing IV catheter related bloodstream infections." About Catheter Connections® Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Catheter Connections, Inc., develops and commercializes innovative vascular access products designed to protect patients from acquiring infections during intravenous infusion therapy. Its DualCap System™ is a family of user-friendly products that provides healthcare facilities with a cost-effective, integrated solution for IV disinfection and protection, helping in the fight against IV catheter-related bloodstream infections. Designed by nurses for nurses, flagship product DualCap® safely disinfects both IV tubing end connectors and IV catheter access valves-a major breakthrough for infection control. For more information, visit dualcap.com. 1 Ivera Medical, May 1st Press Release, http://www.curos.com/ivera-launches-new-tips-response-court-decision/
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