Teleflex Acquires Semprus BioSciences

Limerick, Pa.-based critical care and surgical device company Teleflex Inc. has announced the acquisition of Semprus BioSciences based in Cambridge Mass., a biomedical company formed out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The deal currently is valued at $30 million, but according to the terms of the buyout, Teleflex may have to make additional payments in the future with the achievement of revenue and financial milestones.

With this acquisition, Teleflex gains the Semprus Sustain technology, a platform for reducing complications such as thrombosis and microbial adhesion over long durations. Teleflex hopes to use the technology to develop next-generation devices.

Sustain is a long-lasting, covalently bonded, non-leaching polymer that is designed to reduce the attachment of platelets and blood proteins at the device surface. Studies show that the polymer can reduce thrombus accumulation in in vitro testing after months of exposure to blood and through in vivo animal testing. The polymer shares characteristics of endothelial cell membrane, which tricks the body into thinking the foreign device is actually organic or local.

“We believe Semprus’ novel technology provides distinct advantages over other surface and coating technologies currently on the market with its dual-functionality, ability to work in blood products, and long-term duration,” said Benson Smith, Teleflex’s chairman, president and CEO. “Furthermore, we are excited about the potential for a broad array of our products with this technology to reduce infection-and thrombus-related complications for patients, as well as the resulting substantial healthcare costs which often arise when medical devices are implanted in the body. Finally, with the recently 510(k) cleared antithrombogenic claims on our existing Arrow PICC [peripherally inserted central catheter] with Chlorag+ard technology, which is a chlorhexidine-based coating, we feel Semprus’ Sustain technology provides us a tremendous next generation platform for continued innovation.”

The application of Chlorag+ard uses a proprietary process whereby chlorhexidine is chemically bonded to the catheter surface of the Arrow PICC, providing a controlled release of the antimicrobial agent. Chlorag+ard is designed to reduce colonization of pathogens responsible for causing central line–associated bloodstream infections. The initial focus of the Sustain technology will be vascular access devices such as these.

Semprus Co-Founder and Vice President David Lucchino expressed enthusiasm for the merger, saying his company “[looks] forward to being a catalyst for continued growth through the development and rollout of the Sustain technology on medical devices around the world.”