Illumina wins 26.7 million dollars in patent fight with Roche unit Ariosa

Gene testing company Illumina won a $26.7 million jury verdict in a U.S. lawsuit accusing rival Ariosa Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Roche Holdings AG, of using patented prenatal testing technology without authorization.

A federal jury in San Francisco said Ariosa's Harmony non-invasive prenatal test kits infringed on two Illumina patents.

San Diego, California-based Illumina had sought more than $100 million in damages.

The jury rejected a counterclaim by Ariosa that Illumina had breached a contract between the companies by bringing the lawsuit. Ariosa had sought $88 million in damages from Illumina on that counterclaim.

Illumina and Ariosa did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Roche acquired San Jose, California-based Ariosa for $625 million in January 2015.