Sight Sciences Announces Successful $34 Million Patent Infringement Verdict Against Alcon and its Hydrus Microstent for Microinvasive Glaucoma Surgery

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sight Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGHT) (“Sight Sciences”), an eyecare technology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative, interventional technologies that elevate the standard of care, today announced that it received a positive jury trial verdict of $34 million associated with the patent infringement case it filed on September 16, 2021 against Alcon Inc., Alcon Vision, LLC, Alcon Research, LLC, and Ivantis, Inc. (collectively, "Alcon") in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Sight Sciences asserted that Alcon’s and Ivantis’ sale of the Hydrus Microstent infringed three key patents.

The verdict was announced on Friday, April 26, 2024, following a five-day jury trial. The jury found that Alcon willfully infringed all three Sight Sciences’ asserted patents and awarded monetary damages for past infringement. The monetary damages are comprised of $5.5 million in lost profits and $28.5 million in royalty damages for sales of the Hydrus Microstent for the period from its commercial launch through trial. The patents at issue were U.S. Patent Nos. 8,287,482, 9,370,443, and 11,389,328. The judge has not yet ruled on any potential enhancement of damages associated with the willfulness verdict or other remedies. Cooley LLP represented Sight Sciences. This verdict is subject to appeal.

“Ever since Sight Sciences filed its first surgical glaucoma patent application in 2006, the Company has invested considerable capital in research and development to create new and innovative technologies, striving to pioneer novel treatments for chronic eye disease. Our commitment to these investments underscores our mission to expand patient access to transformative and interventional technologies, ultimately elevating the standard of care and enhancing patient outcomes,” said Paul Badawi, co-founder and CEO of Sight Sciences. “Over the past eighteen years, we have pioneered various important and proprietary microinvasive surgical glaucoma methods and devices, including intracanalicular scaffolding, bladeless goniotomy, ab interno canaloplasty, ab interno trabeculotomy, and combinations of these methods. Given the substantial investments we have made in our surgical innovations on behalf of our surgeon customers and glaucoma patients, we believe safeguarding our intellectual property portfolio is paramount, and we are pleased with the jury’s verdict. Our attention remains steadfast on equipping eye care providers with efficacious technologies and executing on our long-term growth strategy in surgical glaucoma and dry eye disease.”