SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has issued a decision in the patent litigation between Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:KCI), Wake Forest University and Smith & Nephew, Inc. The Court held that the patent claims licensed by KCI from Wake Forest University and asserted in this litigation are invalid. KCI will continue to analyze the Court’s ruling and assess its next steps including, among other options, a request for reconsideration or an appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This ruling does not affect any other patents in KCI’s extensive negative pressure intellectual property portfolio.

“We strongly disagree with the Court’s decision, which effectively sets aside the jury verdict from March 2010,” said Cathy Burzik, KCI president and CEO. “We have successfully competed for years against other NPWT products. This decision will not change the fact that we offer the most proven and innovative NPWT solutions in the marketplace, backed by the vast majority of clinical evidence and the broadest clinical expertise and field service in the industry."

About KCI

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. is a leading global medical technology company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of innovative, high-technology therapies and products for the wound care, tissue regeneration and therapeutic support system markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, KCI's success spans more than three decades and can be traced to a history deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for significantly improving the healing and the lives of patients around the world.

The company employs 6,800 people and markets its products in 20 countries. For more information about KCI, and how its products are changing the practice of medicine, visit www.KCI1.com.

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