Bowdoin company buys Massachusetts firm to enhance its brain surgery product line

A Bowdoin company that makes devices for brain surgery purchased a Massachusetts medical device company.

FHC Inc. announced the acquisition of Atanse, a company that develops products for intracerebral drug delivery, on Monday. The purchase price was not disclosed.

FHC and Atanse have been partners since Atanse’s founding in 2010, according to a release announcing the sale. Miles Cunningham, Atanse’s founder and chief scientific officer, first partnered with FHC to collaborate on research funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program.

The acquisition adds a complementary technology to support continued growth of FHC’s existing product lines. Neurosurgeons, the primary consumers of FHC products, are engaged in ongoing clinical trials for new therapies that require direct injection into the brain. Atanse’s radial microcannula technology will be integrated with FHC’s existing platforms and devices to facilitate these procedures.

“FHC’s mission is to provide innovative neurosurgical solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said Fred Haer, FHC’s president and CEO, in the release. “We welcome the Atanse team to FHC and look forward to advancing this exciting technology.”

The 47-year-old company is based in its Bowdoin headquarters, but operates globally with locations in Pennsylvania, South America and Europe and Australia.

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