Trimedyne Plans to Triple Plant Size in County, Expand Into Europe : MEDICAL

Responding to accelerating sales, Trimedyne, maker of laser catheters to treat cardiovascular disease, has embarked on plans to more than triple its manufacturing in Orange County and expand into Europe.

Trimedyne president Howard K. Cooper said the company expects to lease within the next 40 days at least 60,000 additional square feet of space in a building near its Santa Ana corporate headquarters. He said the company also will keep the 31,000 square feet of manufacturing space it leases. The company will move its headquarters to the new site.

To fill a growing backlog of orders, Cooper said, Trimedyne is also planning to expand its 128-member work force in Orange County to 228 over the next year or two.

Cooper said Trimedyne will continue to manufacture catheters and laser energy delivery systems in Orange County and its lasers will continue to be manufactured in Orlando, Fla.

In addition, Cooper said Trimedyne is negotiating with an unidentified European manufacturer to produce cardiovascular lasers for sale by Trimedyne both in the United States and Europe.

In March, 1987, Trimedyne became the first manufacturer to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its lasers and laser catheters for removing fatty deposits and clots from blood vessels in the legs.

Cooper said sales have increased dramatically as the medical community in the United States becomes acquainted with Trimedyne’s laser technology. For example, for its second fiscal quarter ended March 31, Trimedyne posted sales of $7 million, up 32% from sales of $5.3 million in the previous quarter.

This year Trimedyne has made its first serious attempt to set up marketing and distribution networks overseas, primarily in Europe and Japan. Now, Cooper said, American physicians who have learned to use Trimedyne’s laser technology are training physicians in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Cooper said Trimedyne’s expansion plans are designed to meet customer demand. But he added that the company may experience another even greater spurt of growth if it receives FDA approval to sell its laser technology for unclogging blocked arteries of the heart. Cooper, who is anticipating such FDA approval by the end of 1989, estimates that the market for laser catheters for use in the heart is five times Trimedyne’s current market for treating cardiovascular problems in limbs.