On 16 March, Sanofi and Pluromed announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Sanofi will acquire Pluromed, developer of LeGoo, an FDA approved and CE marked gel for temporary endovascular occlusion of blood vessels during surgical procedures.
LeGoo is a thermo-sensitive biocompatible and non-toxic liquid gel that forms a plug when injected into a blood vessel to temporarily stop blood flow. The plug dissolves rapidly via cooling or spontaneously after several minutes. Once dissolved, the plug cannot reform because the concentration is too low.
In a prospective, randomised study, LeGoo has been shown to provide better operating conditions than conventional occlusion techniques, by limiting blood flow into a surgical field without causing damage to the vessels. The study also showed a reduction in the time required to perform an anastomosis for beating heart surgery when using LeGoo.
With the acquisition, Sanofi will now commercialise LeGoo.
“LeGoo represents a major advancement in surgical technology because of its ability to control bleeding without clamps or snares that can injure delicate blood vessels,” said William E Cohn, director, Minimally invasive Surgical Technology, Texas Heart Institute in Houston, USA, and a member of Pluromed’s board of directors. “This breakthrough gives surgeons a way to temporarily stop blood flow into the surgical field which is imperative for clear visualisation and accurate placement of sutures. I believe this technology will be widely adopted in cardiovascular surgery and perhaps in other fields in the future.”
“The acquisition of Pluromed underscores Sanofi’s commitment to strengthen its Biosurgery portfolio,” said Alison Lawton, senior vice president and general manager, Sanofi Biosurgery. “LeGoo is a breakthrough technology with the potential to change the paradigm of vascular and cardiovascular surgical procedures, by providing fast, temporary control of blood flow while avoiding vessel trauma associated with standard of care.”
“The synergies between our companies were clear from the beginning,” said Jean-Marie Vogel, CEO, Pluromed. “We are confident that Sanofi has the expertise and resources necessary to bring LeGoo to market and drive adoption.”
