Tribune staff report | Baxter International and Nycomed said today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved their TachoSil patch used to control bleeding in cardiovascular surgery.

TachoSil is a patented Nycomed product that is currently available in
more than 50 markets outside of the U.S. Baxter holds exclusive rights
to market and distribute TachoSil in the U.S. Nycomed will manufacture
the product and holds the license with the FDA. Baxter plans to launch
TachoSil during the second half of 2010.

“Controlling bleeding has always been a challenge in cardiovascular
surgery, and we are constantly looking for new ways to achieve
hemostasis effectively,” said Dr. Yoshiya Toyoda, head of
cardiothoracic transplantation at the Heart, Lung and Esophageal
Surgery Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
(UPMC). “As a ready-to-use patch, TachoSil represents a new and
different option.”