U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Nitric Oxide Patent Win for Linde

Linde (NYSE:LIN; FWB:LIN), a leading global supplier of inhaled nitric oxide, is pleased with the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court declining to review the 2019 appeals court decision that affirmed Praxair Distribution, Inc.'s (PDI) right to sell a generic form of inhaled nitric oxide. This decision ends the long-running U.S. patent litigation with Mallinckrodt plc, and affirms the ability of PDI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Linde, to continue supplying inhaled nitric oxide. This drug product is widely used as approved in the U.S. and other countries to improve oxygenation of certain groups of patients.

"Nitric oxide is truly a unique and beneficial drug product. We are proud to be doing our part to support healthcare institutions around the world with a reliable, competitive and beneficial supply of inhaled nitric oxide along with our other medical gases and services," said Ben Glazer, President, US Packaged & Specialty Gases.

Linde is actively supporting doctors as they investigate the use of nitric oxide to treat COVID-19 patients globally. This includes supplying nitric oxide to Massachusetts General Hospital to support a trial launched by their researchers to test the drug's effectiveness for preventing disease progression in patients with mild to moderate disease, thereby avoiding the need for ventilation. Separately, German authorities have authorized on a temporary basis the use of inhaled nitric oxide specifically to treat patients with severe cases of COVID-19