Terumo, Biosensors Int'l, renew stent tech licensing deal through 2014

Japanese device maker Terumo has extended a crucial licensing deal through 2014, an agreement that will be important for the company's drug-eluting stent sales in global markets.

The arrangement with Switzerland-based Biosensors International runs until December 2014, similar to their initial agreement inked in October 2003. As part of the deal, Terumo's Nobori drug eluting stent system can keep using Biosensors' drug, plus a biodegradable polymer coating technology in Japan and markets around the world (but not in the U.S.). Neither side disclosed financial terms.

This deal matters because it is all about stability in a highly competitive market. Stent makers are vying for shares around the world, and Terumo must compete with everyone from Boston Scientific ($BSX) to Abbott ($ABT), Medtronic ($MDT) and more. In other words, every edge to help you stand out counts.

Jeffrey Jump, president of Biosensors' cardiovascular business unit, said in a statement that the new deal "further enhances our long-term strategic relationship" with Terumo.

Biosensors International also recently gained a fine endorsement through a recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The study concluded that a biodegradable drug-eluting stent could be safer than its bare-metal counterpart. Biosensors' BioMatrix Flex stent was used in the trial.

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