Medical tech company Polyganics started construction yesterday of a brand new office building at the Zernike campus. The company has been growing rapidly in the past years and is expected to double in size between now and 2023. This new building will accommodate the head office, ultra modern research labs, as well as production and packaging facilities.
Polyganics started as a University of Groningen spinoff in 1999, armed with a few research patents and big ambitions. The company operates worldwide, developing bio absorbable medical devices for tissue repair that dissolve in the body. There are currently 65 people working at Polyganics, but the company expects that number will double or even triple because of some great news earlier this year.
Successes and good news
The company is probable most well known for developing Nasopore, a foam dressing used to help heal the nose after nasal surgery. It dissolves by itself after about two or three weeks and is considerably less painful for patients than removing traditional dressing. Normal dressings tend to stick to the wound because of blood and fluids, making it very painful to remove. Imagine ripping off a bandaid, but inside your nose. Polyganics has sold over 5 million units in Europe, China and the US.
The other good news came earlier this year, for a new product the company is working on, called Liqoseal. It’s like a bandaid for the brain. It’s used after brain surgery, to help counter leakage of cranial fluid. After successful trials last year, the company received the CE mark in January and can start production for the European market. Polyganics is also preparing a new clinical study needed for FDA approval in the US.
Greener production
Construction of the new building will cost around €22 million. The Groningen Province announced earlier they will contribute €3.8 million. After construction is done, Polyganics says the building will also help reduce the company’s carbon footprint, allowing for more sustainable and circular production and packaging.