Gambro and Debiotech announce today the start of a global partnership agreement in the area of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). Both companies have agreed to cooperate in the research and development of an innovative and user friendly Automated PD cycler based on Debiotech technology that will offer improved quality of life for patients worldwide.
This alliance will use the leading position of Gambro in the treatment of chronic kidney failure through dialysis and the pioneering position of Debiotech in the development of breakthrough medical devices for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes to enhance patients care.
“We are delighted to be building today such a strong partnership with Gambro. This alliance is a major step toward the launch of a new dialysis therapy platform and represents a key acknowledgement made to a Swiss company working to make advanced technology become real medical innovations for the benefit of patients” said Frederic Neftel, MD, President & CEO of Debiotech SA.
“Debiotech patented technology will assist patients in their daily treatment and improve quality of life. It will also provide nurses and physicians with more flexibility in tailoring the prescription to individual patients needs,” said Laurent-Dominique Piveteau, Business Development Manager of Debiotech SA.
“As the independent world leader in dialysis, this partnership with Debiotech means we can make advanced Automated PD available to more patients worldwide. Many patients will benefit from this breakthrough innovation that strategically fits our current product portfolio” says Michael Lewis, President Gambro Europe.
Peritoneal dialysis is the natural choice for home dialysis with more than 180,000 patients treated worldwide and represents about 17 billion SEK (1.8 billion Euros) in the global dialysis market. Automated Peritoneal Dialysis enables patients to be treated at home during their night-sleep by using a cycler to automatically perform the treatment. This segment is growing by more than 10% annually according to recent data.
The agreement covers PD in all territories, with the exception of Japan and includes joint research and development activities in addition to the exclusive licensing of Debiotech technology for an undisclosed amount.
About Gambro
Gambro is a global medical technology company and a leader in developing, manufacturing and supplying products, therapies and services for In-center Care and Self Care hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis, Renal Intensive Care and Hepatic Care. Gambro was founded in 1964 and has more than 8,000 employees, production facilities in 11 countries, sales subsidiaries in more than 40 and sales in more than 100 countries.
About Debiotech
Debiotech specializes in the research and development of innovative medical devices in the field of implantable and external drug delivery systems, using micromechanics, nanotechnologies and MEMS, for the treatment of severe diseases (such as diabetes, renal failure, cardiovascular diseases and cancer) as well as novel technologies for the delivery of vaccines, diagnostic and imaging devices. Debiotech has numerous exclusive license agreements with leading companies in the medical device and pharmaceutical fields and holds over 500 patents worldwide.
Debiotech has received the Swiss Technology Award 2007 for their APD cycler technology
Further information on Debiotech can be found at www.debiotech.com