Gambro sells Scandinavian Heart Center in Sweden
Gambro sells Scandinavian Heart Center in Sweden Stockholm, Sweden, August 20, 2002 Gambro AB (Stockholmsbörsen: GAMBaST, GAMBbST), a leading international medical technology and healthcare company, today announced that an agreement has been reached to sell the open-heart surgery subsidiary Scandinavian Heart Center SHC AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the Swedish company Capio AB. Apart from the open-heart surgery center, SHC also operates an ambulatory angiography business through its subsidiary Svensk Angiografi AB. Gambro has been involved in the company ever since it became operational in 1985, at first as a minority owner and from 1994 as the sole owner. The sale is a natural consequence of Gambro having divested its cardiopulmonary products business Cobe CV in 1999. Following that divestiture, SHC was the only remaining Gambro operation in the field of open-heart surgery, with limited connection to Gambro's core business in renal care and blood component technology. Karl-Axel Axelsson, head of Gambro Renal Products in the Nordic countries and also Chairman of SHC, says, "We are very happy that we have been able to accomplish a transition of SHC to an experienced healthcare provider with an adequate organizational structure and a commitment to further develop the business." The sale of SHC has only a marginal effect on Gambro's result and revenues. The annual sales of SHC amount to approx. MSEK 65, including the angiography business, and the number of employees is 70 persons. The company has a 6% share of the Swedish market and performs more than 550 operations each year. For further information please contact: Janette Jennische, Vice President, Corporate Communications, tel. +46-8- 613 65 99, +46-70-212 50 53 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/08/20/20020820BIT00880/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/08/20/20020820BIT00880/wkr0002.pdf