In short
Sanofi and Pluromed Inc. have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which European healthcare giant Sanofi is to acquire Pluromed Inc., a medical device company based in Woburn, Massachusetts. Last year Sanofi acquired Genzyme corporation, and this new announcement further signals its intent in the biosurgery space.
Full details of the transaction have not been announced at this time.
Background
Sanofi’s Biosurgery division develops and markets innovative, biologically based products for osteoarthritis relief, adhesion prevention, cartilage repair, and severe burn treatment. Following its 2011 acquisition of Genzyme Corporation, many of Sanofi Biosurgery’s products will be familiar names to medical professionals who treat articular cartilage defects(Synvisc®, Synvisc-One™ (hylan G-F 20), Carticel® (autologous cultured chondrocytes), MACI® (Matrix-induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation)), or who use anti-post-surgical adhesion products (Seprafilm®).
Pluromed has developed a proprietary polymer technology, called Rapid Transition Polymers (RTP™), pioneering the use of injectable plugs to improve the safety, efficacy and economics of medical interventions.
LeGoo® is a thermo-sensitive, biocompatible and non-toxic liquid gel that forms a plug when injected into a blood vessel to temporarily stop blood flow. The plug dissolves rapidly via cooling or spontaneously after several minutes. Once dissolved, the residue is of sufficiently low a concentration that plug reformation is not a risk. According to the company, in a prospective, randomized study, LeGoo® has been shown to provide better operating conditions than conventional occlusion techniques, by limiting blood flow into a surgical field without causing damage to the vessels. The study also showed a reduction in the time required to perform an anastomosis for beating heart surgery when using LeGoo®.
The product, intended for temporary endovascular occlusion of blood vessels during surgical procedures, has been in the European market for a few years and gained FDA approval for use on vessels up to 4mm diameter, as announced on our site last October here.
Company comments
“The acquisition of Pluromed underscores Sanofi’s commitment to strengthen its Biosurgery portfolio,” said Alison Lawton, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sanofi Biosurgery. “LeGoo® is a breakthrough technology with the potential to change the paradigm of vascular and cardiovascular surgical procedures, by providing fast, temporary control of blood flow while avoiding vessel trauma associated with standard of care.”
“The synergies between our companies were clear from the beginning,” said Jean-Marie Vogel, Chief Executive Officer of Pluromed, Inc. “We are confident that Sanofi has the expertise and resources necessary to bring LeGoo® to market and drive adoption.”
Clinician (Director) comments
“LeGoo®represents a major advancement in surgical technology because of its ability to control bleeding without clamps or snares that can injure delicate blood vessels,” said Dr. William E. Cohn, Director, Minimally Invasive Surgical Technology at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and a member of Pluromed’s Board of Directors. “This breakthrough gives surgeons a way to temporarily stop blood flow into the surgical field, which is imperative for clear visualization and accurate placement of sutures. I believe this technology will be widely adopted in cardiovascular surgery and perhaps in other fields in the future.”
Source: Sanofi
published: March 19, 2012 in: Arthroscopy, Cardio, Companies, General Surgery, Knee, Mergers and Acquisitions, Vascular