Medafor

Medafor, Inc. was a medical device company established in 1999 by co-founders Donald Sturtevant and James Drake. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the firm focused on developing and commercializing a patented hemostatic agent designed to accelerate the blood clotting process.

The company's principal product was Arista® MPH (Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres), a hemostatic powder derived entirely from purified plant starch. This product was engineered to control bleeding during surgical procedures when conventional methods like pressure or ligature proved impractical or ineffective. Arista worked by rapidly dehydrating blood, which enhanced clotting upon contact to form a resilient, natural clot within minutes. A key benefit of the product was its bio-absorbable nature, breaking down in the body within 24 to 48 hours, and its ready-to-use formulation, which required no special mixing or handling.

Medafor served the surgical market, with Arista indicated for use in a wide array of procedures, including cardiac, orthopedic, and general surgeries. The product obtained CE Mark approval for sale in Europe and received FDA approval for the U.S. market in 2006. The business operated in the global surgical hemostats market, an industry valued at over $1.4 billion at the time of its acquisition.

A significant milestone in the company's history occurred on August 19, 2013, when C.R. Bard, Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Medafor. The transaction was valued at $200 million paid at closing, with up to an additional $80 million in future contingent payments based on revenue milestones. The acquisition was structured as a merger, folding Medafor into Bard's Davol subsidiary to expand its surgical specialty offerings.

Keywords: hemostatic agents, absorbable hemostat, surgical bleeding, medical device, blood clotting, plant-based hemostat, Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres, Arista MPH, surgical specialties, C.R. Bard, Davol, surgical hemostats, adjunctive hemostatic device, wound management, absorbable surgical powder, medical technology, vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgery, surgical products