Medtronic and Genzyme Combine Their Cell Therapy Approaches to Serious Heart Disease
Executive Summary
To help guide it through the world of cardiac biologics, Medtronic's enlisted the help of biotech Genzyme. Medtronic has drug delivery devices and imaging expertise: Genzyme offers focused cell therapy research in cardiac repair and heart disease and has an up-and-running Phase II trial using autologous skeletal myoblasts. Both companies label the deal as strategic--for now. But 2006 is presumably the earliest newly formed MG Biotherapeutics will begin to commit heavily to this problematic endeavor.