U.S. District Court Grants Covidien Preliminary Injunction against Ethicon’s Harmonic ACE®+7

Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) today announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut has granted a preliminary injunction against Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. This injunction results from a lawsuit filed by Covidien in June 2014 that alleges Ethicon’s latest ultrasonic surgical product, the Harmonic ACE®+7, infringes three Covidien patents. The injunction prevents Ethicon from manufacturing, marketing and selling the Harmonic ACE®+7.

“Covidien operates within a highly competitive global health care environment. We are pleased that the court has recognized the value of our intellectual property. As demonstrated by our actions, we will vigorously protect our innovative products, solutions and intellectual property,” said Chris Barry, president, Advanced Surgical, Covidien.

The June 2014 lawsuit contends that U.S. Patents 6,063,050; 6,468,286; and 6,682,544 are infringed by Ethicon’s Harmonic ACE®+7 Shears. Ethicon’s Harmonic® devices were found to infringe the same patents in a prior suit in the same court that resulted in a damages award against Ethicon of more than $175 million, a finding that is currently under appeal.

ABOUT COVIDIEN

Covidien is a global health care leader that understands the challenges faced by providers and their patients and works to address them with innovative medical technology solutions and patient care products. Inspired by patients and caregivers, Covidien’s team of dedicated professionals is privileged to help save and improve lives around the world. With more than 38,000 employees, Covidien operates in 150-plus countries and had 2013 revenue of $10.2 billion. To learn more about our business visit www.covidien.com or connect with us on Twitter.