A US jury has found that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) infringed two of Boston Scientific's patents related to coating stents with drugs. The Delaware jury also upheld the validity of both patents.

The verdict "confirms our belief that we have fundamental intellectual property covering drug-eluting stent technology and stent design", Paul LaViolette, Boston Scientific's chief operating officer, said.

J&J said separately it would ask the judge in the case to overturn the verdict and if that does not happen, the company said it would appeal.

Boston Scientific and J&J are the only two device makers currently on the market with drug-coated stents - tiny wire tubes inserted into the blood vessels of patients with coronary artery disease to help keep the vessels clear of blockages. Both have significant operations in Ireland.

Ryan Rauch, an analyst with Jefferies & Co said the win was "significantly positive news" for Boston Scientific and enhances the company's leverage with J&J in a recent case in which it was found to have infringed J&J stent patents. The analyst said the two companies are likely to end up cross-licensing a number of patents, and Friday's verdict means Boston Scientific could be entitled to royalties on sales of J&J's Cypher stents.

The ruling "is a good start" for Boston Scientific, but it will take a while for the dispute to come to a conclusion, said Mark Landy, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group. Earlier this month in a separate case, the Delaware court found that Boston Scientific infringed J&J patents related to stent design. - (Reuters)