Newark-based W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. acquired North Carolina-based InnAVasc Medical, Inc., a privately-held medical technology company focused on advancing care for some patients with end stage kidney disease.
Terms were not disclosed.
“The addition of InnAVasc’s investigational technology bolsters our continued ambition to improve patients’ lives by offering physicians innovative treatment solutions within the dialysis access space,” said Eric Zacharias, leader of Gore’s Flagstaff, AZ-based Medical Products Division. “We are excited about InnAVasc’s unique technology and its potential to advance patient care for those with end stage renal disease (ESRD). This acquisition reinforces Gore’s commitment to innovation and desire to be strong partners in advancing treatments for these patients.”
Developed by Jeffrey Lawson, MD and Shawn Gage in Duke University School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, the InnAVasc device is designed to allow easy access for dialysis treatment of patients with graft circuits.
The investigational InnAVasc device is designed to protect the graft and reduce the damage associated with frequent needle sticks which occur over the lifespan of a dialysis graft.
“To be stuck with two needles three times a week for hemodialysis for 52 weeks, that’s 312 times a needle goes into a patient’s graft each year,” said Stephen Hohmann, vascular surgeon at Texas Vascular Associates. “So having a graft that has the ability to decrease risk potential and long-term injury is definitely something that would be a game changer.”
“We see an array of synergies working with Gore. The company is well recognized for its advanced material capabilities. Its long history of designing graft solutions for many treatment challenges already includes the Gore PROPATEN and Gore ACUSEAL Vascular Grafts, used in dialysis access procedures today, and we are excited to collaborate on future innovations,” said InnAVasc CEO Joseph Knight. “Together we aspire to significantly advance patient outcomes and improve dialysis treatment for patients with end stage renal disease.”
InnAVasc’s device is currently in clinical trials and not available for commercial use.
Gore engineers medical devices that treat a range of cardiovascular and other health conditions.
More than 50 million GORE medical devices have been implanted over the course of more than 45 years.
W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company, was founded and is based in Newark.
The company has 12,000 Associates and annual revenues of $4.5 billion.
