July 31, 2008 - Abiomed Inc. said it recently signed a long-term lease for a manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland to produce the Impella 2.5 Cardiac Assist Device, which should be in operational in about 18 months.
Abiomed’s Impella 2.5 capacity expansion is intended to meet anticipated long-term demand for the device and augment capacity from the company’s Aachen, Germany facility. In June 2008, Abiomed said it received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Impella 2.5.
The company chose the Ireland location because it was a good building with existing clean room space and a strong supplier network. The Ireland facility has 33,000 square-feet of space, including about 10,000 square-feet of finished clean room space. The company indicated longer-term plans for the Ireland facility to be designated as Abiomed’s global center for high-volume disposable products manufacturing including the Impella 2.5 and the extended Impella product line of the Impella 5.0, right percutaneous and Impella pediatric products and other circulatory care disposable products that Abiomed may offer in the future.
For more information: www.abiomed.com