Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) sold its Pillar Palatal anti-snoring implant business to the Snoring Center USA for an undisclosed amount.
Dallas-based Snoring Center will form a new operation, Pillar Palatal LLC, to make and market the implants, which are used to stiffen the soft palate to treat snoring and sleep apnea.
“The Pillar Procedure is the cornerstone of minimally invasive, office based treatment of sleep apnea and learn how to stop snoring. Particularly when combined with other targeted treatments, it is an extremely compelling and attractive option for many patients. With the acquisition of the Pillar technology, we now have the opportunity to increase awareness of this treatment option, and to help Otolaryngologists across the country incorporate it into their treatment models,” Snoring Center founder & CEO Dr. Craig Schwimmer said in prepared remarks.
The acquisition means the Pillar Palatal operation will move back to Fridley, Minn-based Medtronic’s home territory, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Medtronic had shifted manufacturing of the implants to Jacksonville, Fla., but Pillar Palatal LLC plans to return manufacturing to the Twin Cities area, the newspaper reported.
The Pillar Palatal device 1st won 510(k) clearance from the FDA in 2004. The federal watchdog agency expanded the indication for the device in 2012, for patients with wider mouths or softer palate tissue.
