German District Court Rules in Smith & Nephew's Favor in Patent Infringement Case

August 11, 2009

Smith & Nephew Inc's Advanced Wound Management division (LSE: SN; NYSE: SNN) announced that the German District Court in Dusseldorf decided in favour of Smith & Nephew by rejecting a request from Kinetic Concepts, Inc (NYSE: KCI) for a Preliminary Injunction against the marketing of Smith & Nephew's RENASYS* EZ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) pump in Germany based on alleged infringement of the KCI patent EP0777504.

The District Court decision allows for Smith & Nephew to continue to commercialize its RENASYSEZNPWT product portfolio in Germany.

"This win in favor of Smith & Nephew allows us to continue providing wound care professionals in Germany with options for the latest innovations for NPWT," said Robin Carlstein, Senior Vice President of Advanced Wound Devices at Smith & Nephew. "Clearly, we are pleased with the German District Court's findings in this matter and look forward to continuing to provide our customers with our full range of RENASYS NPWT products in a very important market for the company."

For more information regarding Smith & Nephew, please visit our Web site at http://www.smith-nephew.com.

About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specializing in Orthopaedics, including Reconstruction, Trauma and Clinical Therapies, Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopaedics companies.

Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company operates in 32 countries around the world. Annual sales in 2008 were nearly $3.8 billion.

SOURCE Smith & Nephew Inc