[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Osstem Cardio (CEO Geun-Jin Park), a specialized cardiovascular medical device subsidiary of Osstem Implant, announced on the 3rd that it has signed a distribution agreement with Balt, a French multinational medical device company. Through this agreement, Osstem Cardio plans to foster the cerebrovascular medical device sector as a new growth engine.

For over 45 years, Balt has provided differentiated clinical solutions for the treatment of stroke patients and has established itself as a multinational company leading the cerebrovascular disease field. In particular, it is well known for the 'Optima Coil System', a vascular embolization coil used for the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, and Osstem Cardio has decided to receive priority supply of this product. This coil was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 and is already being sold in major countries such as the U.S. and Europe.

The Optima Coil System is a non-invasive interventional treatment for cerebral aneurysms, which are called time bombs in the head and have a high mortality rate. It has the advantage of being able to provide embolization treatment tailored to the shape and size of each cerebral aneurysm, and being able to safely and immediately separate them within 1 second, allowing for stable treatment.

Ostem Cardio has established itself as a leading player in the cardiovascular medical device sector, focusing on cardiac stents. This time, it plans to expand its business area by signing an agreement with Balt, a cerebrovascular specialist company.

Starting with the Optima Coil System, the company will continuously expand its lineup of cerebral aneurysm medical devices, including blood flow diversion stents and cerebrovascular stents, and achieve sales of over KRW 20 billion within five years, thereby becoming the undisputed No. 1 vascular medical device company in Korea covering both the heart and the brain.

Ostem Cardio CEO Park Geun-jin said, “By partnering with Balt, which has outstanding product capabilities, we can now provide a stable supply of products that are essential for domestic cerebrovascular patients,” and “We will fully utilize Ostem Cardio’s capabilities, which include deep insight into the domestic medical device market and professional experience, to bring hope to the treatment of stroke patients.”

The domestic academic and medical community also expressed great expectations regarding this agreement. President Seo Sang-il of the Korean Society of Neurointerventional Medicine predicted, “I believe that this will be an opportunity for various cerebrovascular medical devices to be introduced domestically, allowing patients to receive appropriate treatment at the right time.”

Kwon Soon-chan, the president of the Korean Society of Endovascular Neurosurgery, also said, “I hope that capable domestic companies will establish themselves stably in the domestic cerebrovascular product market, which is currently dependent on multinational companies, and at the same time provide practical help to patients with brain diseases and medical professionals.”