Maquet Cardiovascular is set to become an exclusive US distributor of the Intergard family of vascular grafts effective from October 1, 2010, when its current distribution agreement with WL Gore & Associates expires.
Maquet distributes the Intergard product line outside of the US in a number of markets around the world currently. The addition of the Intergard grafts will further strengthen Maquet Cardiovascular’s portfolio of vascular grafts, which are used by vascular and cardiovascular surgeons to surgically repair or replace damaged blood vessels, including the aorta.
Bodo Anders, president of Vascular Interventions Business Unit at Maquet Cardiovascular, said: “Maquet and Gore have mutually agreed that the transition of the Intergard vascular graft product line to Maquet is the best approach to service customers. We will be working closely with Gore to ensure a smooth transition during this period as we are committed to providing our customers with the best-in-class service and support they have come to know from us.
“We welcome the addition of the Intergard line of vascular grafts into our product portfolio, which includes our signature line of Hemashield vascular grafts, as it allows us to offer surgeons a variety of unique technologies to improve the lives of their vascular patients.”
Kurt Long, global sales leader at Gore, said: “We continually evaluate the changing healthcare environment and make strategic recommendations about where to focus our business. Upon careful review, we have decided to terminate our distribution agreement with Maquet for the Intergard product line so we can focus our resources on other products. We will work hand in hand with Maquet through this transition period to ensure there will be no interruption of service for Intergard customers.”