A Culture of Innovation
Novus Scientific is an innovator in the development and commercialization of resorbable synthetic medical devices. We are a small company with an enviable track record and big intentions.
Our roots are Swedish and we are accustomed to operating in the global medical device sector.
Who’s behind our success? Read about the track record of our CEO and President, Thomas Engström.
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The origins of a Visionary
The origins of Novus Scientific are firmly rooted in Uppsala, ‘the life science capital of Scandinavia’, which lies just to the north of Stockholm. This is where, over three decades, the main founder of Novus Scientific; Thomas Engström ‘cut his teeth’ as an entrepreneurial innovator in the medical device sector.
Originally a tax lawyer by training, Engström’s maiden med-tech venture was a radiology focused company called RadiPlast AB, of which he took control in 1981. Initially selling catheter kits, RadiPlast was the vehicle for the first of many innovational firsts, namely Biopty™, the world’s first automatic biopsy system. By 1982 and with an eye on expansion into new fields, RadiPlast succeeded in securing the distribution rights to Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Inc. (ACS) which later became part of Guidant, unlocking the door to the world of interventional cardiology. By 1988 the company foresaw huge potential in the use of catheters in cardiac procedures and so opted to realign its’ strategy to a totally new course. RadiPlast AB was sold to CR Bard Inc. and a new company, Radi Medical Systems AB was born.
Radi Medical Systems AB would grow to pioneer some of the world’s leading devices for interventional cardiology, haemostasis management, and radiology. One of the more famous Radi products, called PressureWire®, today accounts for approximately 70 percent of the global market in the physiological assessment of coronary lesions.
The Acquisition of Radi Medical Systems AB
The 20th anniversary of Radi Medical Systems AB in 2008 proved to be a milestone for the company in more ways than one. Strong demand for Radi products was driving growth to new sales records (in 2008 Radi Medical Systems achieved revenues of US$ 80 million), the R&D department was developing groundbreaking concepts based on an already launched resorbable polymer platform (Femoseal®), and lastly in December 2008, Radi Medical Systems was acquired by St Jude Medical Inc. This acquisition not only brought Radi into the St Jude Medical family with an extremely compatible product range, but also freed up the biomaterials research team for new ventures, and the formation of Novus Scientific.
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Innovation never stands still
Over 20 years, Radi claimed some 400 patents for inventions whilst simultaneously carving out a respectable niche in both it’s core sectors: intravascular sensors and haemostasis management. Today, Novus Scientific continues to chart new territory with the same innovational mindset.
This insatiable appetite for innovation and success earned Engström the Ernst and Young ‘World Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2005’
New horizons
The sale of Radi Medical Systems AB to St Jude Medical Inc. was a springboard for the transition of biomaterials knowledge from Radi to Novus Scientific, and in the first instance, from Sweden to Singapore. Singapore is the biomedical hub of the Asia Pacific region and since February 2008, it had been the regional headquarters for Radi Medical Systems and Engström’s ‘home from home’. As Novus Scientific came ‘online’ in December 2008, it has expanded operations initially in Sweden (where R&D now resides) and Singapore, and subsequently with offices in the United States (Boston) and in the United Kingdom.
Whether in the hospital or the lab, you will find us engaging, committed and caring. We never lose sight of our objective of identifying and converting clinical need into life improving applications and devices.
Read about our innovative TIGR® Matrix Surgical Mesh in the products chapter.
