Award - Vascutek, Innovation Award

Vascutek, which specialises in designing and manufacturing products to treat cardiovascular disease, received the award for its new BioValsalvaTM Heart Valve Conduit.

Rhona Allison, senior director of Life Sciences at Scottish Enterprise, said, “Congratulations to Vascutek on winning this year’s Innovation Award. The company’s BioValsalvaTM has proven itself to be a ground breaking innovation which has brought significant improvements to cardiothoracic surgery.”

A Vascutek spokesperson said, “We are delighted to receive this award which recognises the design, manufacturing, quality assurance and regulatory capabilities of our staff. We believe this device will make a valuable contribution to cardiothoracic surgery. With an increasing ageing population requiring a higher level of cardiac intervention, our product has been brought to the market at the right time.”

The Innovation Award recognises the most innovative life sciences company in Scotland that has created an innovative technology, product or service which has led to commercial success.

BioValsalvaTM is the world’s first medical device combining a biological heart valve and a sealed vascular graft. The device is intended to be used to treat patients who have aortic valve disease with an aortic aneurism. These groups of patients if untreated are at risk of severe, and often fatal, heart problems.

The device has been approved for use in 42 countries and 2000 have already been sold.