Angiotech and Orthovita Announce Commercial Launch of Vitagel(TM)
Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Orthovita, Inc. announced that the companies have begun the official commercial launch of Vitagel(TM). Orthovita has initiated distribution through its 40 direct sales representatives and roughly 20 independent distributors. The direct representatives will have a launch base that extends over 500 hospitals. As part of the Cohesion consolidation, Angiotech expects a full transfer of production capabilities from the Palo Alto facility to Orthovita's Malvern facility to be complete by Q3:05.
Vitagel(TM)Surgical Hemostat is designed for use in cardiovascular, orthopedic, urologic and general surgery indications to control bleeding. Vitagel(TM)differs from other competitors in that it uses autologous (a patient's own) blood as opposed to products from pooled donor blood, thus reducing the risk of transmission of diseases associated with donor blood. Vitagel(TM)has been shown in randomized, controlled studies to reduce blood loss by over 50% during spinal surgeries. CE mark approval for Vitagel(TM)was granted in September 1998. In June 2000, Vitagel(TM)received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, to market Vitagel(TM)in the U.S.
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