Since I first highlighted VISICU's (NASDAQ:EICU) strong quarterly results on April 27, there has been good news about the company's second re-examination of a key patent. On its website, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office posted a non-final ruling in the case that makes only minor changes to a few words in the patent claims. The company, which focuses on critical care, has since filed its mandatory response to the judgment, meaning that a final ruling appears imminent.

Also, at the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Unplugged Conference on May 2, CEO Frank Sample said that the ruling would reaffirm all the claims of the company's contested patent, and the patent and trademark office has allowed it to issue a new patent that builds on the company's existing intellectual property.

There are further signs that investors are bullish on VISICU's future. The company's call options are available in June, and since the option trading began April 5, it has drawn more than 11,500 contracts on the June $10 strike and more than 2,500 contracts on the June $7.50 strike call options -- with virtually no other significant interest in any other call or put options across all strike prices and months.

Investors who have been monitoring VISICU since it reported positive results last quarter may want to take a second look at the company now, because of that ruling about the patent.

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Fool contributor Mike Havrilla, R.Ph., B.S., Pharm.D., is a Rite Aid pharmacist who lives, writes, works, and enjoys running on the streets and trails in the small Pennsylvania town of Portage. He invites your comments and feedback. Mike owns shares of VISICU. The Fool has a disclosure policy.