J&J's Cordis buys Ensure Medical, gains ACD

USA-based cardiovascular device maker Cordis Corp has acquired Ensure Medical, a privately-held company in Sunnyvale, California, that develops devices for post-catheterization closure of the femoral artery. The price was not disclosed but, as part of the deal, Cordis' parent firm, health care giant Johnson & Johnson, will incur an estimated one-time charge of $52.0 million related to the cost of in-process R&D.

The lead investigational technology from Ensure Medical is a femoral artery closure device, which uses a synthetic bioabsorbable polymer to stop bleeding and close the site of the arterial puncture. Cordis noted that ACDs are designed to enable expedited closure time and reduce bed-stay when compared to conventional manual compression methods for wound access site closure, adding that each year eight million patients undergo cardiac catheterization procedures.

Commenting on the technology, Peter Fitzgerald, professor of medicine at Stanford University Hospital, USA, noted that bioabsorbable wound closure patients may experience less pain and a quicker return to self-sufficiency. Cordis expects the investigational device to enter clinical trials early next year in order to secure approval for marketing from the US Food and Drug Administration and regulatory authorities elsewhere around the world.