Renfrewshire company recognised as most innovative Life Sciences Company in Scotland

Renfrewshire-based Vascutek, a Terumo Company, has scooped a prestigious award for Innovation at the Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Annual Dinner 2010.

The company, which specialises in designing and manufacturing products to treat cardiovascular disease, received the award for its new BioValsalva^TM Heart Valve Conduit.

The Innovation Award recognises the most innovative life sciences company in Scotland that has created an innovative technology, product or service which has led to commercial success.

BioValsalva^TM is the world’s first medical device combining a biological heart valve and a sealed vascular graft.  The device is intended to be used to treat patients who have aortic valve disease with an aortic aneurism. These groups of patients if untreated are at risk of severe, and often fatal, heart problems.

Prior to the introduction of BioValsalva^TM, surgeons had no combined biologic valve and pre sealed aorta replacement devices available. The device allows surgeons to reduce both operating time and blood loss during replacement procedures and can also expand the range of patients to whom the surgery is offered.

A major advantage of BioValsalva^TM is that it can eliminate the need for post op medications and monitoring visits to clinics, because surgeons no longer need to implant preassembled devices that use mechanical valves rather than biological valves. Patients receiving a mechanical valve need to take lifelong anti-coagulation medication which biological valve recipients do not require.

The device has been approved for use in 42 countries and 2000 have already been sold.

The award was presented at the Scottish Enterprise annual dinner in Edinburgh on Thursday 4^th February in front of more than 750 representatives from the life sciences community in Scotland and worldwide.

Rhona Allison, senior director of Life Sciences at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Congratulations to Vascutek on winning this year’s Innovation Award.  The company’s BioValsalva^TM has proven itself to be a ground breaking innovation which has brought significant improvements to cardiothoracic surgery.”

“The life sciences community in Scotland is delivering some of the most ambitious and exciting projects in the country and undoubtedly has a fundamental role to play in the long term growth of Scotland’s economy.  We at Scottish Enterprise, will work with our partners to continue to support the industry to deliver a globally orientated, sustainable and fully connected life sciences sector.”

A company spokesman said   “We are delighted to receive this award which recognises the design, manufacturing, quality assurance and regulatory capabilities of our staff. We believe this device will make a valuable contribution to cardiothoracic surgery. With an increasing ageing population requiring a higher level of cardiac intervention, our product has been brought to the market at the right time”.