Gore acquires NMT assets

W. L. Gore & Associates has purchased the assets and intellectual property of NMT Medical, which ended operations this year.

Included in the purchase is data related to CLOSURE I, a prospective, multicenter trial of patent foramen ovale closure with the Starflex device for the prevention of recurrent stroke and transient ischemic attack in certain patients. The study data was acquired with the rest of the NMT assets, but the transaction did not transfer any liabilities of the now-defunct company.

NMT was in the news after suing U.K. cardiologist Peter Wilmshurst over comments he had made about results from a trial he designed called MIST. The study was conducted to determine whether closing small holes in the heart with Starflex could stop migraines. However, the trial did not succeed, and Wilmshurst suggested that the fault could lie with the medical device. The company then sued him for libel.

After the company ended operations, liquidators decided not to pursue the case against Wilmshurst.

- see the Gore release