bactiguard partnering

History

From lighthouses to infection control

The idea behind the Bactiguard® technology originates from a Swedish invention by the great pioneer Gustaf Dalén. He was awarded the Nobel Price in physics 1912 and the man behind the successful AGA lighthouse system and the AGA cooker. In the process of developing lighthouses, he solved the critical task of applying thin layers of metals on glass.

Gustav Daléns pupil Axel Bergström then refined the coating technology. He developed a chemical technique for coating non-conductive materials with thin layers of metals. Axel Bergström, in his turn, transferred the knowledge about metal coating technology to his student, the Swedish inventor behind the Bactiguard® coating.

Developing the concept

The concept of coating medical devices with thin metal layers for antimicrobial purposes started in the mid 70´s. The outcome was very good and encouraged the inventor to send in a US patent application (1989). A company was built around the technology and from there on the project is a success story.

A collaboration was initiated with C.R. Bard Inc. and in 1994 the Bardex IC, a Bactiguard® and hydrogel coated latex urinary catheter, was approved by the US regulatory authorities, FDA. The following year the Bardex IC was launched on the market. In 2004 the product was introduced on the European market as well.

In the mid 90´s a Bactiguard® coated central venous catheter, CVC, was developed and received regulatory approval for the European market. This product and the Bardex IC have been evaluated in several clinical studies, showing the superior antimicrobial efficacy of the Bactiguard® coating. During 1998 – 2000 the largest study so far was carried out in US, with 28,000 included patients.

On the 13th June 2005, the Swedish company Bactiguard AB was established, acquiring the Bactiguard® technology platform from the former owner Adhesive Technology. Bactiguard AB is now taking the technology one step further in the struggle against infections and multi-resistance.

With focus on development, Bactiguard built a new production plant in the south of Sweden in 2006. In the beginning of 2007 an agreement with the US medical device company Amsino Inc for manufacturing and distribution of urinary catheters with Bactiguard's unique antimicrobial coating, was signed.