Guardant Health Inc. said it will appeal a Delaware court ruling that imposed a final judgment in a patent dispute with TwinStrand Biosciences Inc. and the University of Washington.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware issued its order on Friday, defining the scope of products subject to potential royalties as those in existence at the time of the 2023 trial. Guardant stated that current versions of its Guardant Reveal and Shield products are excluded from the order, while design improvements to its Guardant360 product and related services have been validated to mitigate potential ongoing royalty obligations.
Execution of the final judgment and any associated royalty collection will be stayed pending the appeal process, the company said. Guardant added that both TwinStrand patents have been preliminarily invalidated in ongoing challenges before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the company is pursuing appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Guardant Health, founded in 2012 and based in Palo Alto, California, develops blood and tissue tests for cancer detection and treatment selection. John Saia, chief legal officer, said the company "strongly disagrees" with the decision and plans to appeal for its overturn. "We have full faith in the strengths and merits of Guardant's intellectual property and R&D and are confident we will ultimately prevail on appeal," Saia said in a statement.
