Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced that it has completed the purchase of rights to a chitosan-dextran gel technology from Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd. (the commercial development company of the University of Adelaide) in Australia, Robinson Squidgel Ltd., and Otago Innovation Ltd. (a University of Otago company) in New Zealand. Medtronic is acquiring this technology for potential use in developing future products for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).
“As a leader in the FESS market, we're pleased to have the opportunity to expand our FESS product portfolio.”
More than 525,000 FESS procedures are performed annually in the US. The most common complications are bleeding and adhesions, which are scars that can form at the surgical site as sinus tissues heal after FESS. These adhesions can block the sinuses, potentially causing disease to recur and requiring additional surgery.
The innovative chitosan-dextran gel has been shown in animal studies to provide hemostasis (control of bleeding) and aid in wound-healing after FESS. Additionally, a human trial demonstrated that the chitosan-dextran gel resulted in rapid hemostasis immediately after FESS and fewer postoperative adhesions.
Chitosan is a polymer produced from the chitin of shellfish and squid. Its powerful hemostatic properties have been extensively studied, leading to its use in a hemostatic bandage distributed to all deployed US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The chitosan-dextran gel technology would enhance Medtronic's ability to offer innovative, therapeutic products for sinus surgeons to use in postoperative patient care," said Mark Fletcher, president of the ENT division of the Surgical Technologies business of Medtronic. "As a leader in the FESS market, we're pleased to have the opportunity to expand our FESS product portfolio."
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