BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, announced today it has acquired Tepha, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of a proprietary resorbable polymer technology.

Tepha's proprietary resorbable polymer (Poly 4-hydroxybutyric acid, P4HB) technology platform provides additional innovation potential that can accelerate the growth of BD's surgical mesh portfolio and drives the company into potential new areas within soft tissue repair, reconstruction and regeneration. The acquisition of Tepha also provides strategic vertical integration of an important supply chain component for BD's existing Phasix™ Mesh products. Tepha's GalaFLEX^® portfolio, also based on the novel P4HB polymer, is included in the acquisition. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"This strategic acquisition advances BD's category leadership in surgical mesh and enables future innovations to provide new solutions to physicians and their patients," said Kevin Kelly, worldwide president for BD Surgery. "Tepha's proprietary polymer is used in BD's current Phasix™ Mesh products and is the key technology that enables our products to provide short-term support for soft tissue repairs, while enabling rapid tissue ingrowth and reabsorbing into the body over time. The acquisition — including its current and potential applications — will help ensure BD can continually provide physicians with the latest technology to treat their patients."

Tepha's GalaFLEX^® products are a bioresorbable scaffold for soft tissue support and to repair, elevate and reinforce deficiencies where weakness or voids exist that require the addition of material to obtain the desired surgical outcome.

Increasing the company's resorbable mesh portfolio is a growth driver for BD as part of its strategy to better serve customers and their patients through new innovations. The BD Interventional segment intends to expand the applicability of Tepha's technology to other medical applications and to drive  the transformation of soft tissue repair and regeneration  as part of its strategy to innovate solutions for clinicians and patients in the future.

"Our BD team has had a strong partnership with Tepha for more than 10 years, and we know their technology and people very well. We look forward to welcoming new, talented colleagues to the BD family," Kelly concluded.

Tepha is the sixth tuck-in acquisition that BD has completed in fiscal 2021. The transaction is expected to be immaterial to BD's fiscal 2021 financial results.