Gore Acquires InnAVasc Medical

August 12, 2022—Gore & Associates announced the acquisition of InnAVasc Medical, Inc., a privately-held medical technology company focused on care for patients with end-stage renal disease who utilize graft circuits for dialysis treatment. The acquisition of InnAVasc and its graft technology builds upon Gore’s dialysis access solutions, noted the company.

According to Gore’s press release, the investigational InnAVasc device is intended to allow for safe, easy, reproducible, and durable access for dialysis treatment of patients with graft circuits. Specifically, it is designed to protect the graft from back wall punctures and reduce the damage associated with frequent needle sticks that occur over the lifespan of a dialysis graft, which can lead to circuit failure and shortened circuit life.

The InnAVasc device, which is currently in clinical trials and not available for commercial use, was developed by Jeffrey Lawson, MD, and Shawn Gage, PA-C, in the Department of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.

Stephen Hohmann, MD, a vascular surgeon at Texas Vascular Associates in Dallas, Texas, commented in Gore’s press release, “To be stuck with two needles three times a week for hemodialysis for 52 weeks, that’s 312 times a needle goes into a patient’s graft each year. So having a graft that has the ability to decrease risk potential and long-term injury is definitely something that would be a game changer.”

Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, who is Professor of Medicine at the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, added, “Back wall punctures and damage due to excessive needling are painful and can cause unwanted bleeding, delay or stoppage of treatment, and reduced graft durability. I greatly appreciate how this technology is intended to be so patient-centric, addressing this important interface need, for both clinicians and home caregivers.”

Finally, InnAVasc CEO Joseph Knight, PhD, stated in the press release, “We see an array of synergies working with Gore. The company is well recognized for its advanced material capabilities. Its long history of designing graft solutions for many treatment challenges already includes the Gore Propaten and Gore Acuseal vascular grafts, used in dialysis access procedures today, and we are excited to collaborate on future innovations. Together we aspire to significantly advance patient outcomes and improve dialysis treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease.”