Sanofi enters definitive agreement to acquire Pluromed

Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and Pluromed Inc. announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Sanofi is to acquire Pluromed Inc., a medical device company based in Woburn, Massachusetts.  The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.

Pluromed has developed a proprietary polymer technology, called Rapid Transition Polymers (RTP™), pioneering the use of injectable plugs to improve the safety, efficacy and economics of medical interventions. Sanofi will commercialize Pluromed's LeGoo®, a highly innovative FDA approved and CE marked gel for temporary endovascular occlusion of blood vessels during surgical procedures.

"The acquisition of Pluromed underscores Sanofi's commitment to strengthen its Biosurgery portfolio," said Alison Lawton, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sanofi Biosurgery. "LeGoo^® is a breakthrough technology with the potential to change the paradigm of vascular and cardiovascular surgical procedures, by providing fast, temporary control of blood flow while avoiding vessel trauma associated with standard of care."

"The synergies between our companies were clear from the beginning," said Jean-Marie Vogel, Chief Executive Officer of Pluromed, Inc. "We are confident that Sanofi has the expertise and resources necessary to bring LeGoo^® to market and drive adoption."

"LeGoo represents a major advancement in surgical technology because of its ability to control bleeding without clamps or snares that can injure delicate blood vessels," said Dr. William E. Cohn, Director, Minimally invasive Surgical Technology at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and a member of Pluromed's Board of Directors. "This breakthrough gives surgeons a way to temporarily stop blood flow into the surgical field which is imperative for clear visualization and accurate placement of sutures. I believe this technology will be widely adopted in cardiovascular surgery and perhaps in other fields in the future."