NEW YORK – A judge for the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Monday overturned a previous jury verdict ordering CareDx to pay Natera $96.2 million in lost profits and past royalties related to claims that CareDx's AlloSure and AlloSeq infringed upon two patents covering aspects of Natera's Panorama noninvasive prenatal testing assay technology.
In a memorandum, US District Judge Colm Connolly wrote that he determined that Natera's claims of patent infringement were invalid, while conditionally denying CareDx's motion for a new trial. Connolly wrote that while he agreed with CareDx that the jury erred in its decision to award compensatory damages related to foreign sales of AlloSeq, that issue could be remedied without a new trial.
A spokesperson for Natera said that "Natera respectfully disagrees with the decision and will be pursuing all available remedies, including appeal."
CareDx said in a statement that if Natera appeals, "CareDx will continue to vigorously defend its technology."
Natera originally filed a patent infringement lawsuit related to these patents against CareDx in May 2023, followed by a decision later that year from the same court to deny a motion from CareDx for summary judgment.