Gambro

Last updated
Gambro
TypeBusiness unit of Baxter International.
IndustryHealthcare
Founded1964 in Lund by Holger Crafoord
Headquarters Deerfield, Illinois, U.S.
Number of employees
approx. 7,500
Parent Baxter International
Website www.gambro.com

Gambro is a global medical technology company that manufactures products for dialysis treatment. The company is involved in developing, manufacturing and supplying products and therapies for kidney and liver dialysis, Myeloma Kidney Therapy[ clarify ], and other extracorporeal therapies for chronic and acute patients. Gambro was founded in Lund, Sweden, in 1964 by Holger Crafoord and has around 8,000 employees, production facilities in nine countries, and sales in more than 100 countries. [1]

Contents

In September 2013, Baxter International completed its acquisition of Gambro. [2]

History

Professor Nils Alwall invented one of the first artificial kidneys in 1961. Three years later he met industrialist and businessman Holger Crafoord, who was impressed by Alwall’s invention and felt compelled to develop and market this life-saving innovation. [3]

The development of single-use artificial kidneys began in Lund, Sweden, and mass production started in 1967 with the “Ad-modum-Alwall” dialyzer. The company adopted the name Gambro, which is the abbreviation of the original Swedish company name: “Gamla Brogatans Sjukvårdsaffär Aktiebolag". Roughly translated, this means “The Old Bridge Street Medical Supplies Company". The company’s first plant outside Sweden was built in Hechingen, Germany, in the 1970s. In 1983, Gambro became listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. On 3 April 2006, Indap AB, joint-owned by Swedish investment companies EQT and Investor AB, announced a public cash offer to the shareholders of Gambro to acquire all outstanding shares in the company. The new ownership structure of Gambro became effective in June 2006. [3]

In recent decades, Gambro’s range of products and therapies has grown — through the introduction of new products, as well as several acquisitions, such as Hospal in 1987, COBE in 1990, Teraklin in 2004, and the latest addition of CHF Solutions Inc. in 2010. CHF Solutions designs and manufactures therapies and products for treating fluid overload by means of ultrafiltration. [4]

In July 2013, Baxter International’s bid for Gambro was approved by EU antitrust regulators. [5]

Organization

Gambro has production facilities in 9 countries. The company’s newest plant is a manufacturing facility in Opelika, Alabama, USA which started production in 2009. [6] The largest manufacturing facility is located in Hechingen, Germany, employing approx. 1,380 people. Gambro has 350 R&D employees in 4 locations all over Europe.[ citation needed ] The company has offices and representatives in more than 100 countries. Around 350,000 chronic renal disease patients are treated with Gambro products every year; this is approximately one quarter of all dialysis patients worldwide.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Nephrology Medical study concerned with the kidneys

Nephrology is a specialty of adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function and kidney disease, the preservation of kidney health, and the treatment of kidney disease, from diet and medication to renal replacement therapy. The word “renal” is an adjective meaning “relating to the kidneys”, and its roots are French or late Latin. Whereas according to some opinions, "renal" and "nephro" should be replaced with "kidney" in scientific writings such as "kidney medicine" or "kidney replacement therapy", other experts have advocated preserving the use of renal and nephro as appropriate including in "nephrology" and "renal replacement therapy", respectively.

Kidney dialysis Removal of nitrogenous waste and toxins from the body in place of or to augment the kidney

Kidney dialysis is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. This is referred to as renal replacement therapy. The first successful dialysis was performed in 1943.

Opelika, Alabama City in Alabama, United States

Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is 30,995, an increase of 17.1 percent from the 2010 Census where the population was 26,477. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population of 150,933, along with the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, comprises the Greater Columbus combined statistical area, a region home to 501,649 residents.

Kidney failure Disease where the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood

Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as either acute kidney failure, which develops rapidly and may resolve; and chronic kidney failure, which develops slowly and can often be irreversible. Symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, vomiting, loss of appetite, and confusion. Complications of acute and chronic failure include uremia, high blood potassium, and volume overload. Complications of chronic failure also include heart disease, high blood pressure, and anemia.

Hemodialysis Medical procedure for purifying blood

Hemodialysis, also spelled haemodialysis, or simply dialysis, is a process of purifying the blood of a person whose kidneys are not working normally. This type of dialysis achieves the extracorporeal removal of waste products such as creatinine and urea and free water from the blood when the kidneys are in a state of kidney failure. Hemodialysis is one of three renal replacement therapies. An alternative method for extracorporeal separation of blood components such as plasma or cells is apheresis.

Chronic kidney disease Medical condition

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease in which there is gradual loss of kidney function over a period of months to years. Initially there are generally no symptoms; later, symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, vomiting, loss of appetite, and confusion. Complications can relate to hormonal dysfunction of the kidneys and include high blood pressure, bone disease, and anemia. Additionally CKD patients have markedly increased cardiovascular complications with increased risks of death and hospitalization.

Peritoneal dialysis Type of dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of dialysis which uses the peritoneum in a person's abdomen as the membrane through which fluid and dissolved substances are exchanged with the blood. It is used to remove excess fluid, correct electrolyte problems, and remove toxins in those with kidney failure. Peritoneal dialysis has better outcomes than hemodialysis during the first couple of years. Other benefits include greater flexibility and better tolerability in those with significant heart disease.

Artificial kidney is often a synonym for hemodialysis, but may also, refer to renal replacement therapies that are in use and/or in development. This article deals with bioengineered kidneys/bioartificial kidneys that are grown from renal cell lines/renal tissue.

Baxter International Inc. is an American multinational health care company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois.

Hemofiltration

Hemofiltration, also haemofiltration, is a renal replacement therapy which is used in the intensive care setting. It is usually used to treat acute kidney injury (AKI), but may be of benefit in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome or sepsis. During hemofiltration, a patient's blood is passed through a set of tubing via a machine to a semipermeable membrane where waste products and water are removed by convection. Replacement fluid is added and the blood is returned to the patient.

Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is therapy that replaces the normal blood-filtering function of the kidneys. It is used when the kidneys are not working well, which is called kidney failure and includes acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. Renal replacement therapy includes dialysis, hemofiltration, and hemodiafiltration, which are various ways of filtration of blood with or without machines. Renal replacement therapy also includes kidney transplantation, which is the ultimate form of replacement in that the old kidney is replaced by a donor kidney.

Willem Johan Kolff Dutch medical researcher

Willem Johan "Pim" Kolff was a pioneer of hemodialysis, artificial heart, as well as in the entire field of artificial organs. Willem was a member of the Kolff family, an old Dutch patrician family. He made his major discoveries in the field of dialysis for kidney failure during the Second World War. He emigrated in 1950 to the United States, where he obtained US citizenship in 1955, and received a number of awards and widespread recognition for his work.

Hemoperfusion or hæmoperfusion is a method of filtering the blood extracorporeally to remove a toxin. As with other extracorporeal methods, such as hemodialysis (HD), hemofiltration (HF), and hemodiafiltration (HDF), the blood travels from the patient into a machine, gets filtered, and then travels back into the patient, typically by venovenous access.

Nils Alwall was a Swedish professor at Lund University, Sweden. He was a pioneer in hemodialysis and the inventor of one of the first practical dialysis machines. Alwall pioneered the technique of ultrafiltration and introduced the principle of hemofiltration. Alwall is referred to as the "father of extracorporeal blood treatment."

Robert Provenzano American physician

Robert Provenzano is an American nephrologist. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Calcium acetate/magnesium carbonate is a fixed-dose combination drug that contains 110 mg calcium and 60 mg magnesium ions and is indicated as a phosphate binder for dialysis patients with hyperphosphataemia. It is registered by Fresenius Medical Care under the trade names Renepho (Belgium) and OsvaRen.

Rockwell Medical

Rockwell Medical Inc., based in Wixom, Michigan, focuses on development and commercialization of treatments against diseases such as end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Vifor Pharma Group is a global specialty pharmaceuticals company in the treatment areas of iron deficiency, dialysis, nephrology & rare disease. It is headquartered in Switzerland and consists of Vifor Pharma, Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) and Sanifit Therapeutics.

Diaverum is a provider of renal healthcare with over 460 clinics in 24 countries, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

Holger Crafoord

Alf Erik Holger Crafoord was a Swedish industrialist and patron. He founded Gambro, which developed and commercialized the artificial kidney. He also established the Crafoord Foundation, the proceeds of which fund the Crafoord Prize for scientific research.

References

  1. Gambro (2014). "About Gambro". Gambro. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  2. Baxter (2013). "Baxter Acquires Gambro". Baxter. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Lund University (2005). "Nils Alwall, the artificial kidney and Gambro". Lund University. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  4. Gambro (2014). "Aquadex FlexFlow". Gambro. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  5. Foo Yun Chee (10 July 2013). "EU to clear Baxter's $4 billion buy of Sweden's Gambro: sources". Reuters.
  6. Sara Falligant (2014). "Opelika". Opelika-Auburn News. Retrieved December 11, 2014.