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CryoLife Inc. Files Trademark Infringement Suit Against Sulzer Carbomedics, Inc.

September 25, 2001 at 8:48 AM EDT
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ATLANTA, Sep 25, 2001 /PRNewswire/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a life- science company involved in the development and commercialization of cryopreserved and tissue-engineered implantable heart valves, vascular and orthopaedic reconstruction grafts, and surgical adhesives, today announced that it has filed a civil action against Sulzer Carbomedics, Inc., for trademark infringement under the Federal Trademark Act and violation of Georgia's Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The civil action contends that Sulzer Carbomedics, Inc. is engaging in trademark infringement and unfair competition by using a non-registered term "Synergy" in marketing and promoting heart valve products in medical markets served by CryoLife's SynerGraft(R) trademark-registered heart valve products. Steven G. Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, CryoLife, Inc., noted, "CryoLife has initiated the civil action to deter any confusion within the medical community caused by the similarity of terms and to assure protection of the intellectual property represented in our SynerGraft technology."

Founded in 1984, CryoLife, Inc. is the leader in the development and commercialization of implantable living human tissues for use in cardiovascular, vascular and orthopaedic surgeries throughout the United States and Canada. The Company's BioGlue(R) surgical adhesive is approved as an adjunct for use in acute thoracic aortic dissections under HDE regulations in the United States and is CE marked in the European Community and approved in Canada and Australia for use in vascular and pulmonary sealing and repair. The Company also manufactures the SynerGraft heart valve, the SynerGraft vascular graft, the world's first tissue-engineered heart valve and vascular replacements, and the CryoLife-O'Brien(R) and CryoLife-Ross(R) stentless porcine heart valves, which are CE marked for distribution within the European Community. The human heart valves and vascular grafts processed by CryoLife using the SynerGraft technology are distributed in the U.S. under the trade names of CryoValve(R)SG and CryoVein(R)SG, respectively.

For additional information about the company, visit CryoLife's web site: http://www.cryolife.com . 

    Contact:  Roy Vogeltanz
              Vice President, Corporate Communications
              (800) 438-8285
SOURCE CryoLife, Inc. 

CONTACT:          Roy Vogeltanz, Vice President, Corporate Communications of
                  CryoLife, Inc., +1-800-438-8285