Healthcare Industry News: ACIST Medical Systems
News Release - April 1, 2008
ACIST Medical Systems Enhances Portfolio with Acquisition of E-Z-EM Products and Systems
MINNEAPOLIS--(HSMN NewsFeed)--ACIST Medical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of the Bracco Group, has today acquired E-Z-EM’s contrast delivery, contrast data management, and point-of-care testing business. This includes the Empower® line of contrast injector delivery systems, IRiS contrast management system and the EZ Chem™ point-of-care device, a unique chemistry device for testing serum creatinine levels.“This is beneficial for both our customers and for the continued development of our business,” said Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, Chief Executive Officer of ACIST Medical Systems. “Adding E-Z-EM’s portfolio, innovation, and technical expertise extends our ability to offer customers a more comprehensive and integrated range of products and services that can potentially deliver a total patient management solution.”
"The potential benefits for our company are also significant," he continued. “While we are already a leading provider of automated contrast delivery systems in the cardiology field, this acquisition is a valuable addition to the Bracco Group and aligns with our vision of achieving continued innovation and growth in the evolving field of imaging informatics and patient management.”
ACIST has acquired E-Z-EM assets as part of a transaction in which Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. (BDI) merged with E-Z-EM Inc., a leading supplier of oral barium contrast media for gastrointestinal radiology and CT and MRI contrast injector delivery systems. Both ACIST and BDI (the U.S. subsidiary of Bracco Imaging) are affiliates of the Bracco Group. E-Z-EM’s range of products complements the contrast delivery solutions of ACIST Medical Systems and Bracco Imaging’s comprehensive portfolio of diagnostic imaging agents. BDI and ACIST have executed a co-marketing agreement to support the sales of E-Z-EM’s injection systems and the EZ Chem™ Blood Analyzer.
The merger, announced on October 30, 2007 and valued at more than $241 million, was completed today.
About ACIST (www.acist.com)
ACIST is a world leader in contrast delivery solutions for the imaging field, dedicated to advancing the art of angiography through research and development of new products and technologies – supporting today's needs and anticipating those of tomorrow. More than four million people around the world have had cardiovascular angiographic procedures using an ACIST system, now at over 1 million annually – and growing. ACIST systems are widely proven in the global health care arena, with clinical usage in over 30 countries and in many world-renowned centers, as well as in community hospitals and university settings.
About Bracco (www.bracco.com)
Bracco Imaging S.p.A., is one of the world leading companies in the imaging agent business, with products sold in over 80 countries. Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Bracco Imaging which is headquartered in Milan, Italy.
Bracco Imaging is a subsidiary of Bracco S.p.A, holding company of the Bracco Group, which also markets Ethical and OTC pharmaceutical products in Italy as well as Advanced Medical Technology systems on a world wide basis. Furthermore, the Bracco Group offers diagnosis services through the Milan-based Centro Diagnostico Italiano (Italian Diagnostic Center).
About E-Z-EM (www.ezem.com)
Headquartered in Lake Success, New York, and named to Forbes magazine’s prestigious 2007 List of Best Small Companies in America, E-Z-EM is a recognized leader in manufacturing products for imaging the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. From the first disposable barium enema administration kit introduced in 1962, to today's advanced CT and VC products, speech pathology, GI devices and healthcare decontaminants, E-Z-EM continues to develop imaging solutions that provide superior methodology, procedural simplicity and added convenience for physicians and their patients.
The company is the developer of VoLumen®, a patent-pending low density barium sulfate suspension for use as an oral contrast in Multidetector CT and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies. It also offers Empower®, the first family of CT injectors on the market with patented technology to help detect contrast extravasation, and a complete product set for virtual colonoscopy practitioners, comprising virtual colonoscopy hardware, software, nutritional prep kits and bowel cleaners, tagging agents, and a carbon dioxide colon insufflation system.
Source: ACIST Medical Systems
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