Sanofi to acquire US medical device company Pluromed to expand in biosurgery

French drugmaker Sanofi today said that it will acquire US medical device company Pluromed Inc, to expand its presence in biosurgery, for an undisclosed sum.
 
Founded in 2003, Pluromed is a medical technology company that has pioneered the use of injectable plugs to improve the safety, efficacy and economics of medical interventions.

The company develops, manufactures and markets a host of disposable medical devices and its core competencies lie in its proprietary polymer technology.

Pluromed's core strategy is targeted at the use of its devices to control bleeding during medical procedures. These products address a broad surgery market that includes cardiac and vascular surgery, prostate, kidney and liver surgery, plastic reconstructive surgery, interventional and trauma/battlefield applications.

Pluromed's technology also has clinical value in other non-core applications such as the treatment of kidney stones and GI polyps.

Pluromed has developed a proprietary polymer technology called Rapid Transition Polymers, and Sanofi said that it will commercialise Pluromed's LeGoo, a US Food & Drug Administration approved and CE marked thermo-sensitive biocompatible and non-toxic liquid gel that forms a plug when injected into a blood vessel to temporarily stop blood flow.

In a prospective, randomised 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.