Edwards Lifesciences Acquires JV in Japan

A cardiovascular business in Tokyo, Japan, has been acquired by Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (Irvine, CA, USA) for about US$22 million. The business, which had been operating as a joint venture of Edwards and Baxter International, Inc. (Deerfield, IL, USA; www.baxter.com), had net sales of around $170 million in 2001. The business began in 1968 as American Hospital Supply, Japan, and now has 18 regional sales offices throughout the country.

The business provides Edwards' products for heart valve therapy, critical care medicine, vascular therapies, and cardiovascular surgery to Japanese doctors. Edwards also serves in Japan as the exclusive third-party distributor of cardiology specialty products, such as pacemakers, intra-aortic balloon pumping systems, and angioplasty catheters.

"We are confident that the addition of our strong Japanese operations will contribute toward our aspiration of becoming the global leader in innovative solutions for people fighting advanced cardiovascular disease,” said Michael A. Mussallem, chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences.




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