Judge doubles Pitt patent award against Varian

A federal judge in Pittsburgh has doubled the damage award against a California medical device firm to $73.6 million, saying the company should have known its cancer radiation equipment infringed on patents held by the University of Pittsburgh.

U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab issued the enhanced award in an opinion Wednesday against Varian Medical Systems, of Palo Alto, Calif.

Pitt sued the company in 2008 and was previously awarded $36.8 million in damages based on a percentage of profits the company made on various products including Clinac and Trilogy, which treat cancer cells with radiation.

Varian's attorney did not immediately return a call for comment on Schwab's decision to double the awards, finding that Varian knew, or should have known, it was infringing on the patents.