Manufacturer Acquires Heparin Supplier

Originally Published MPMN January 2006

INDUSTRY NEWS

Manufacturer Acquires Heparin Supplier

Corinne Litchfield

A manufacturer of medical implants and other devices has acquired a European supplier of heparin technologies. Gore (Flagstaff, AZ; www.gore.com) has purchased Carmeda AB, a Swedish manufacturer of a clinically proven, hemocompatible surface coating for medical devices. Carmeda has supplied Gore with heparin and heparin-related technologies for nearly 10 years. The firm’s leadership team and workforce will continue to be based at its existing facility in Upplands Väsby, Sweden.

The Carmeda BioActive Surface (CBAS) coating mimics the anticlotting properties of the lining of blood vessels. It uses a patented end-point attachment chemical bonding of heparin to the device. The heparin molecules on the CBAS-coated surface sway in the bloodstream, similar to seaweed in water. The swaying motion enables the heparin’s active sequence to interact with substances in the flowing blood. As a result, CBAS displays stable anticlotting activity.

Gore uses the CBAS coating in its Gore-Tex Propaten vascular graft, which is made of expanded PTFE (ePTFE). The CBAS coating provides hemocompatibility by minimizing clot formation on the inside surface of the graft. Such clots can result in blockages that can reduce blood flow through the graft that may require clinical intervention. Commercially available to physicians in Europe and elsewhere outside the United States, the Propaten graft is an investigational device in the United States. A U.S. clinical study under an FDA IDE is ongoing.

“We are very excited at the prospects for the winning combination of two premier biomedical technologies, bioactive heparin and ePTFE, for improving medical device performance and positively impacting patients’ lives,” says Paul Begovac, technology leader at Gore.

Copyright ©2006 Medical Product Manufacturing News