Cordis Acquires Angioguard

Cordis Corp. (Warren, NJ) has acquired AngioGuard Inc., a Minneapolis-based developer of a containment technology designed to protect the heart and brain from embolic particles potentially dislodged during interventional medical procedures. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"In combination with Cordis' best-in-class carotid stent systems, currently under clinical investigation in the US and Europe, AngioGuard's embolic containment technology could enable Cordis to offer customers and patients a total solution for the interventional treatment of carotid artery disease," said Patrick J. O'Neill, Ph.D., Cordis Worldwide Group VP, Research & Development and New Business Development.

During interventional procedures such as carotid stenting and saphenous vein graft stenting, emboli (fragments of plaque or debris) that may be dislodged can pose significant risk of stroke or acute myocardial infarction. AngioGuard has developed proprietary embolic containment technology designed to protect the heart and the brain from these particles. AngioGuard's technology incorporates a guidewire with a filter that is placed distal to (beyond) the target lesion to capture and retrieve emboli throughout these procedures.

O'Neill noted: "European approval to market the AngioGuard technology for coronary applications has just been received, and we expect approval for carotid applications later this year. We also intend to rapidly initiate US clinical trials."