London, UK, February 4, 2004 - BTG (LSE: BGC), the global technology commercialisation company, announced today that it has successfully licensed patents surrounding a hemofiltration device developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to international dialysis product manufacturer Gambro Renal Products. The agreement involved a down payment and provides for ongoing royalties. BTG acquired the rights to commercialise this intellectual property from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in November 2002.
The technology was originally developed by a team of researchers led by John J. Bissler, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s. Through computerisation, the device automates adjustments to an ongoing hemofiltration session, reducing the need for medical supervision and the possibility of human error. In addition to improving existing methods for the treatment of acute renal failure (ARF), it is anticipated that this technology may further the development of the home dialysis market. The incidence of ARF is high, nearly 200 cases per million population in developed countries (Liano, et al., Kidney International, 50:811-818, 1996).
“We are pleased that Gambro, a globally-recognised healthcare leader, has taken a licence to this innovative technology from Cincinnati Children's, and we look forward to offering the rights to this technology to other players in the hemofiltration industry," said Ruth Sutherland of BTG’s Strategic Business Development Group. “This builds on BTG’s well-established history of delivering innovative medical technologies to industry.
“We believe this technology will bring significant improvement to hemodialysis and hemofiltration processes,” said Joseph D. Fondacaro, Ph.D., Director of Intellectual Property for Cincinnati Children’s. “The licence signifies the value of this technology and is recognition of the public benefit arising from Cincinnati Children’s innovations.”
“Gambro looks forward to exploring the opportunities for incorporating aspects of the licensed technology into its next generation of renal replacement equipment,” said Annemarie Gardshol, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing for Gambro Renal Products.
About BTG
BTG finds, develops and commercialises emerging technologies in the life and physical sciences. These innovations are protected by a strong portfolio of intellectual property that BTG develops and enhances. BTG then captures the value in these technologies through licensing and venturing activities. From the origins of its business in 1949, BTG has commercialised major innovations such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), recombinant factor IX blood-clotting protein, Campath® (alemtuzumab) and Multilevel Cell (MLC) memory. BTG is quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol “BGC” and operates from offices in London and Philadelphia, with representation in Tokyo. BTG operates through wholly owned subsidiaries, BTG International Ltd and BTG International Inc in the UK and USA, respectively. Further information on BTG can be found at www.btgplc.com.
About Cincinnati Children’s
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is a 373-bed institution dedicated to the pursuit of perfect healthcare. It is the only paediatric organisation in the United States to receive the prestigious Pursuing Perfection grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation ranks third nationally among all paediatric centres in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The Cincinnati Children’s vision is to be the leader in improving child health, through patient care, research and education. Additional information about Cincinnati Children’s can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.
About Gambro AB
Gambro is a global medical technology and healthcare company with leading positions in renal care - services and products - and blood component technology. Gambro Healthcare is one of the leading providers of kidney dialysis services in the world with 55,200 patients in more than 700 clinics worldwide. Gambro Renal Products comprises dialysers, dialysis machines, bloodlines and dialysis concentrates. Gambro BCT is the market leader in separation and handling of blood components. The group, with 2002 revenues of SEK 27.6 billion (USD 2.7 billion), has 21,350 employees in some 40 countries. Additional information about Gambro can be found at www.gambro.com.
Contact
Jim Feuer
Cincinnati Children’s
+1 513 636 4656
Email: jim.feuer@cchmc.org
www.cincinnatichildrens.org.
Colleen Henry
BTG
+1 610 943 3540
Email: colleen.henry@btgplc.com
www.btgplc.com
