Dr. Shirin Towfigh, MD, a Beverly Hills surgeon with over two decades of experience, is suing Medtronic, accusing the global medical device giant of stealing her patented hernia mesh design, CNBC reported Nov. 13.
Dr. Towfigh, who specializes in hernia repair for women, claims Medtronic copied her innovation after the company expressed interest in her design during meetings in 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, she filed for an international patent to protect her innovation. However, Dr. Towfigh alleged that after discussing her patent-pending product with Medtronic representatives, including a visit to the company's manufacturing site in France, Medtronic filed its own patent for a similar product in 2017.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, claims that Medtronic's Dextile hernia mesh product, which launched in 2020, closely resembles Dr. Towfigh's patented design. She alleges that despite raising concerns with Medtronic multiple times over the years, the company proceeded to develop a product that "mirrored" her pending patent.