German medical device maker Jostra AG plans to make its newly acquired cardiopulmonary business in Irvine the base for its U.S. operations and a beachhead for expansion here, according to company officials.
Last week, the company renamed the Irvine unit Jostra Bentley Corp. and said it plans to close an existing sales office in Delaware. The company plans to hire five people in coming weeks to bring the number of Orange County employees to 30, said Jostra spokeswoman Joyce Kopenski.
On Sept. 1, Jostra completed its $30 million purchase of the cardiopulmonary business from Irvine-based Edwards Lifesciences Corp. The Bentley unit, named for OC biomedical pioneer Jim Bentley, makes disposable oxygenators, blood reservoirs and filters used during heart surgery. Jostra also acquired the unit’s U.S. sales force and a production facility in Puerto Rico.
“Jostra AG will be the world’s third-largest heart surgery supplier,” Kopenski said.
Edwards maintains distribution rights for Bentley products in Japan and most other countries outside the U.S. and Western Europe. Terms of the agreement call for Jostra to maintain Bentley’s role as a preferred supplier to Edwards’ global cardiopulmonary services operations.
