Royal DSM N.V., the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company headquartered in the Netherlands, today announces that it has closed the acquisition of The Polymer Technology Group, Inc. (PTG) of Berkeley (California, United States), a market leader in the field of biomedical polymers.

Through this acquisition DSM gains a global leading position in the fast growing biomedical materials market. PTG will now be known as DSM PTG. The acquisition was announced on 28 April 2008.

Steve Hartig, President DSM Biomedical, commented: “We are excited that our acquisition of PTG has closed and look forward to moving forward with a combined effort. With PTG, DSM obtains a leading position in the field of biomedical polymers. This acquisition will enable us to grow a unique portfolio of materials-based technologies for the healthcare market. This will allow acceleration in our business growth and market presence.”

Bob Ward, President and one of the founders of PTG: “We see the combination of PTG and DSM’s biomedical activities as a huge step allowing us to better serve our customers in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries by bringing a much greater breadth of products, technology and services to bear.”

The DSM Biomedical and PTG organization will be closely linked to best service the global market. To secure a smooth integration Bob Ward will stay on as President of DSM PTG.

The acquisition of PTG is an important step for DSM in realizing its ambitions in Biomedical Materials, one of the Emerging Business Areas defined in DSM’s Vision 2010 strategy. Being active in both Materials Sciences and Life Sciences, DSM is in a unique position and can combine its abilities in both market segments resulting in new, innovative products that address societal needs in this particular case in healthcare.

DSM Biomedical
To meet the upcoming needs of the medical and biotech industries, DSM Biomedical builds on the expertise and strengths of DSM in polymers, coating technology, materials science and life sciences. DSM’s current biomedical portfolio includes ComfortCoat™ hydrophilic and antimicrobial coating technology for catheters, guidewires and stent delivery systems and Dyneema Purity®, a high performance polyethylene fiber technology, which has been developed specifically for use in medical applications, such as orthopedic implants. Furthermore, a research and development program specifically aimed at extending DSM’s material portfolio for the orthopedic industry has been started. Moreover, DSM Biomedical is focusing on developing materials and systems around implantable devices for the musculoskeletal and vascular systems and drug delivery devices in musculoskeletal, vascular and ophthalmic application areas. For more information, visit www.dsmbiomedical.com.

The Polymer Technology Group (PTG)
PTG was co-founded in 1989 by Bob Ward, a recognized pioneer in the field of biomaterials. It is vertically-integrated, in research, development, design, scale-up, and manufacture of new polymers, components and medical devices. PTG’s materials portfolio includes some of the world's most extensively tested biomaterials in clinical use today: BioSpan® segmented polyurethane, Bionate® polycarbonate urethane and CarboSil® silicone polycarbonate urethane. PTG recently expanded operations to 70,000-square-feet comprise the equipment and expertise to support production-scale polymer synthesis through contract medical device manufacturing. More information: www.polymertech.com.