Integra LifeSciences history

In 1991 Integra acquired Colla-Tec and two months later acquired some of the technology of Marion Merrell’s Wound Care Division.

Integra was able to post sales of $8.7 million in 1994 and $10.2 million a year later, but it also lost more than $27 million during this period, much of it due to development work on regenerative technologies for cartilage and peripheral nerves.

Sulzer Calcitek, which marketed some of the company’s dental products, agreed to fund research to develop the next generation of BioMend, an absorbable tissue product used to restore gum tissue after oral surgery, which had received FDA clearance in 1995.

Early in 1996 Integra made a public offering of stock raising $35 million in much needed cash.

In late 1997 he hired 36-year-old Stuart M. Essig, a managing director at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he supervised the medical technology practice.

In September 1998 Integra acquired Rystan Company, Inc., the maker of Panafil, an agent used to remove (“debride”) burned skin and other wounds.

Davis, Alison, “Fact Sheet: NIGMS-Supported Basic Research on Skin Replacement Following Burn or Trauma Injury,” National Institute of General Medical Sciences, June 18, 1999.

The company’s performance caught the attention of investors, who bid up the price of Integra’s stock by 93 percent in 2001.

Integra continued to expand its sales and distribution channels and bolster its product lines through acquisitions in 2002.

Momentum carried into the following year for Integra, which improved sales 58 percent to $185.6 million in 2003.

Revenues increased to $277.9 million in 2005 and earnings totaled $37.2 million.