Observations
Merz shows voracious appetite to expand in 2010
Buys BioForm and launches Novabel filler
The tail end of the noughties and early 2010 has seen a period of consolidation by acquisition. Early in the new year German company Merz has shown its intention to be a dominant player with its acquisition of American company BioForm Medical which, subject to ratification of purchase of BioForm’s shares in the first quarter of this year, will be renamed Merz Aesthetics.
BioForm Medical’s leading product is the dermal filler Radiesse, which joins Merz’s Belotero and innovative Novabel fillers and its Xeomin neurotoxin. The combined portfolio could include a radiofrequency treatment to reduce nerve function in the forehead, a sclerotherapy treatment for spider veins, and a surgical adhesive for brow lifts, products which BioForm has been developing.
➤ Novabel will certainly make practitioners look closer at Merz’s fillers. The product uses purified brown algae that can be shaped into compact soft gel spheres called Geleons after injection.
The Geleons’ low viscosity and high elasticity enable a low ejection force using a 30G1/2 needle with minimal discomfort to the patient and a result that can last 12 months or longer based on a clinical study, claims Merz.
