Global gases specialist Messer has announced its acquisition of EKU Elektronik GmbH (EKU), a specialist in electronic products for ventilation, anaesthesia, gas therapy and medical measurement technology.
Having previously focused on nitric oxide (NO) production for medicinal use in Austria, Messer’s buyout enables the production and marketing of dosing devices for NO therapies.
“The acquisition of EKU supports our goal of also becoming an independent provider of complete solutions in the field of NO therapy,” said Adolf Walth, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing Europe at Messer.
NO therapy is often used together with a ventilator and other agents to treat newborn babies with respiratory failure that is caused by pulmonary hypertension.
It is also used to treat oxygen deficiency, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
A vasodilator, the gas is inhaled through the nose or mouth and works by relaxing the smooth muscles to widen the blood vessels in the lungs.
NO-A nitric oxide delivery system developed by EKU Elektronik. ©EKU Elektronik
The first reports of its use for newborns were published in 1991 and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use in 1999.
In 2001 it received regulatory approval in Europe for use in hypoxaemic respiratory failure associated with pulmonary hypertensions in neonates older than 34 weeks.
The company’s latest purchase expands its healthcare options, which also includes supply of USP bulk oxygen for hospitals, liquid helium for MRI and excimer laser gases for laser vision correction.
Having recently closed its 125th anniversary year, Messer last week posted sales of around $4.7bn in its 2023 financial year, a figure that surpassed the company’s record sales figures from 2022.
The global NO therapy system market size was valued at $29.65m in 2021 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period, reaching $50.27m by 2027, according to the latest research.
