| April 03, 2006 |
Goodman and Blue Membranes Announce Commencement of Worldwide Licensing
Agreement |
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Goodman Co., Ltd. and its US based Subsidiary, Avantec Vascular Corp.,
have entered into a worldwide agreement for the joint development, manufacture
and supply of next generation drug-eluting stent technology with Blue Membranes
GmbH (CEO Soheil Asgari, hereafter known as “Blue Membranes”). Blue
Membranes is a German company that specializes in the research and development
of nano-carbon materials for advanced application in medical devices. |
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1. Goals of Licensing Agreement |
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Goodman’s main business activity relates to the importation, development,
manufacture and distribution of therapeutic and diagnostic catheters used
in the field of interventional cardiology. In order to capitalize
on in-house development of devices that utilize cutting edge technology,
US based Avantec Vascular was acquired in 2002 for the purpose of focusing
on development of a drug-eluting stent program.
Drug-eluting stents have rapidly penetrated the worldwide market for intravascular
therapeutic devices. However, according to results from many clinical
studies presented at recent international conferences, polymer coatings
used to control the localized release of the pharmacological agents loaded
onto drug eluting stents may have a negative impact on the implant site.
Blue Membranes is a company that specializes in development and research
of practical applications for nano-carbon materials. The use of potentially harmful polymer coatings can be eliminated through
the adoption of Blue Membranes’ nano-carbon structures. Through collaborative
efforts with Blue Membranes, Goodman expects to be a leader in bringing
a polymer-free next-generation drug-eluting stent to the world market. |
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[License Agreement Contents] |
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| (1) Details |
Worldwide agreement for proprietary license,manufacture, and distribution |
| (2) Product |
Drug-Eluting Stent Coating |
| (3) Contract Period |
From 3/22/2006 until termination by Goodman |
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2. Blue Membranes Company Overview |
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| (1)Name |
Blue Membranes GmbH |
| (2)Business Activities |
Nano-structured composite materials and coatings for advanced applications
in medical devices, biotech-engineering and chemical processing technologies |
| (3)Established |
8/2000 |
| (4)Headquarters |
Wiesbaden, Germany |
| (5)CEO |
Soheil Asgari |
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[Reference] |
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Applying nano-carbon composite materials to a stent produces a nano-porous
surface (with pores sizes from 150nm to 2μm available), and by utilizing
these nano-pores the drug can be loaded and elution rates can be controlled.
As evidenced by the image on the right, one can confirm the formation of
nano-pores approximately 5x.25 nano-meters in size.
Prospective advantages of nano-carbon structure coating technology are
as follows: |
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1) Extremely biocompatible |
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2) No constraints on administrable drug types |
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3) Drug release is easily controlled |
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4) Adjustable surface properties |
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5) Easy-of-manufacturing |
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