Seven rivals challenging the patent on AstraZeneca's Crestor cholesterol drug claim AZ misled the PTO. A Delaware magistrate recommended that the claims proceed to trial.

Paul Weiss represented Edwards; Medtronic had Keker & Van Nest.

In a ruling that should keep the blood pressure of AZ and its investors under control, Delaware judge Joseph Farnan Jr.--in one of his last opinions before he leaves the bench in July--found that AZ's patent on the blockbuster cholesterol drug is valid.

The jury was out for more than three weeks, but a guy who ran 105 marathons in a single year certainly had the stamina to wait it out--especially since his client won in the end.

Pfizer predecessor Wyeth sued two generic companies that introduced competing versions of its reflux drug Protonix for infringement, and sued a third when it filed an application to produce the drug. The generics claimed Pfizer's patent was invalid, but a Newark federal jury upheld it.