Merit Medical Systems has announced that it has completed the acquisition of a portfolio of dialysis catheter products and the BioSentry biopsy tract sealant system.
“We are selectively investing to expand our product portfolio in key strategic markets that leverage our existing commercial footprint,” said Fred P Lampropoulos, Merit’s chairman and CEO. “These acquisitions strengthen our position in the dialysis and biopsy markets, and expand the foundation of our growing specialty dialysis device offering, which includes Wrapsody cell-impermeable endoprosthesis, Haemodialysis Reliable Outflow (HeRO) graft, and the Surfacer system devices. Many dialysis patients rely on these solutions to receive vital therapies. Combining this broad portfolio of interventional solutions within Merit will allow us to leverage our physician relationships and commercial infrastructure to serve more patients in the multi-billion dialysis market.”
The acquired dialysis catheter portfolio includes the BioFlo DuraMax dialysis catheter with Endexo technology, a proprietary material that a press release states is more resistant to thrombus, in vitro, compared to conventional non-coated dialysis catheters. In addition to the dialysis portfolio, Merit also acquired the BioSentry biopsy tract sealant system from AngioDynamics, which complements Merit’s “comprehensive” biopsy portfolio, according to the press release. The BioSentry system is designed specifically to reduce the incidence of biopsy-related pneumothorax. Pneumothorax, the press release states, is a potentially life-threatening complication that can extend hospitalisation and occurs in approximately one-quarter of patients undergoing lung biopsy.
Merit’s purchase of the AngioDynamics dialysis catheter portfolio follows Merit’s recent acquisition of the Surfacer inside-Out access catheter system from Bluegrass Vascular Technologies. The Surfacer is a “unique device designed to obtain right-sided central venous access in patients with venous obstructions”, and the press release states that this provides this population “with access to life saving therapies including haemodialysis and chemotherapy”.
