Press release

Berkeley CA, US, 31 Jan 2012 16:15 CET

DSM, a global leader in biomedical materials sciences, today announced a successful collaboration with medical manufacturer EPflex to launch a new set of guidewires with ComfortCoat^® hydrophilic coating, a proprietary DSM technology. EPflex will manufacture the guidewires and DSM will provide the coating technology.

EPflex is a leading innovator in nitinol-based guidewire systems. Nitinol offers unique advantages such as high flexibility and stability, which enable the safe treatment of hard-to-reach lesions.

DSM’s ComfortCoat coating further improves the performance of the guidewire systems by providing a durable lubricious coating, which reduces the amount of force needed to pass through tight stenoses and reach difficult lesions. Benefits of the coated guidewires include an extremely soft tip, excellent gliding properties, a torsion stable core, and high flexural strength.

“Guidewires are used in many medical disciplines including urology, cardiology, radiology and gastrology,” said John Marugg, Business Manager, Coatings, DSM Biomedical. “The success of these devices further demonstrates the broad capabilities of DSM’s proprietary coating technologies and coating processes in medical applications.”

“Guidewires are often one of the first devices introduced into a patient’s body during surgery,” said Bernhard Uihlein, CEO, EPflex Feinwerktechnik GmbH. “By enhancing our products with innovative coating technology we aim to make procedures easier for physicians while also improving patient outcomes. We chose DSM as a partner because of the company’s proven quality, service and reliability.”

About EPflex Feinwerktechnik GmbH

EPflex is a DIN ISO 13485 certified OEM manufacturer of metallic single use products for minimally invasive surgery. The company’s product range includes guidewires, nitinol stone baskets, stylets, hypotubes and customized products. Besides producing standard guidewires in many different diameters, rigidities, lengths and tip shapes, EPflex manufactures a variety of nitinol guidewires. EPflex is specialized in processing wires, braids and tubes made of stainless steel, nitinol, polymers and other materials. Manufacturing capabilities include grinding, laser welding, bonding, laser marking and forming. Products are assembled in the company’s 350 square meter class 8 clean room, which has received EN-ISO 14644-3certification and in additional 1,000 square meters controlled area.

^{ComfortCoat® is a registered trademark of Royal DSM N.V.}