C. R. Bard

C. R. Bard was an American medical-device company founded in 1907 by Charles Russell Bard. It developed from a supplier of urological products into a diversified manufacturer of disposable medical devices, implantable products, vascular-access systems, oncology devices, surgical products, peripheral-intervention equipment, and urology and continence technologies. The company became widely known in hospitals for products such as urinary catheters, vascular catheters, drainage systems, biopsy devices, surgical meshes, and devices used in cancer treatment and minimally invasive procedures. Bard's early business was associated with urology and catheter products. Over time, it expanded through internal development and acquisitions, building a portfolio aimed primarily at hospitals, physicians, outpatient facilities, and other institutional healthcare purchasers. Its businesses were organized around clinical areas rather than consumer-facing product categories. Important areas included peripheral vascular intervention, oncology, surgery, urology, and continence care. The company also marketed products for fluid drainage, access to the vascular system, tissue sampling, and treatment of complications associated with chronic disease. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange for many years and operated internationally. Its growth strategy included acquisitions of specialized medical-device businesses. Notable transactions included the acquisition of Davol, which strengthened Bard's surgical-products business, and the acquisition of L. Gore's? no, the company did not acquire Gore; Bard instead built its vascular and oncology activities through other product development and acquisitions. Bard acquired AngioDynamics'? no, AngioDynamics remained independent. Bard's best-known major acquisition was the purchase of Liberator Medical Holdings in 2016, expanding its direct-to-consumer urological and continence-supplies distribution capabilities. C. R. Bard also became involved in extensive product-liability litigation. Its transvaginal surgical-mesh products were the subject of thousands of claims alleging injury, pain, erosion, and other complications. Bard's inferior vena cava filters and certain other products also generated regulatory scrutiny and litigation. These issues affected the company's public profile and became important considerations in the 2017 acquisition by Becton, Dickinson and Company. In April 2017, BD completed its acquisition of Bard in a transaction valued at approximately $24 billion, including assumed debt. The deal created one of the world's largest medical-technology companies and expanded BD's presence in vascular access, surgery, urology, oncology, and other specialty-device markets. Following the acquisition, Bard ceased to operate as an independent public company, while many products, technologies, facilities, and business lines continued under BD ownership. The Bard name remains visible on some products, regulatory records, litigation matters, and legacy businesses, although corporate reporting and much of the commercial organization are integrated into BD.

C. R. Bard was established in 1907 by Charles Russell Bard in the United States. Its earliest identity was closely connected with urology and catheter products, a field in which the company developed long-running relationships with hospitals and physicians. Rather than becoming a consumer brand, Bard developed as a business-to-business medical-technology supplier whose products were selected through clinical, procurement, and regulatory processes. During the twentieth century, Bard broadened its activities beyond basic urological products. It entered or expanded in areas including surgical supplies, vascular access, drainage, oncology, biopsy, and peripheral vascular intervention. The company used both product development and acquisitions to build specialty businesses. Its portfolio included disposable and implantable devices used in operating rooms, interventional suites, oncology departments, urology practices, and home-care settings. This diversification reduced dependence on a single clinical specialty while increasing the importance of regulatory compliance, physician adoption, and hospital purchasing relationships. Bard's public-company period was marked by continuing international expansion and a focus on procedure-based technologies. The company reported businesses serving hospitals and other healthcare providers in the United States and overseas. Its product categories included implantable access ports, catheters, drainage devices, biopsy systems, surgical repair products, peripheral vascular devices, and continence products. The acquisition of Davol strengthened the surgical portfolio, while the 2016 acquisition of Liberator Medical Holdings expanded Bard's reach in urological and continence-supply distribution, including direct-to-consumer and home-delivery channels. Bard's history also includes significant product-liability and regulatory controversy. Its transvaginal surgical-mesh products were challenged in lawsuits alleging pain, erosion, organ injury, and other complications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration progressively increased regulatory scrutiny of transvaginal mesh, and in 2019 ordered manufacturers to stop selling and distributing mesh products specifically intended for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse after the manufacturers did not demonstrate reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Bard and its later parent, BD, also disclosed litigation involving other device categories, including inferior vena cava filters. These matters became a material part of the company's legal and risk profile. In 2017, Becton, Dickinson and Company agreed to acquire C. R. Bard in a large cash-and-stock transaction. BD described the transaction as a way to combine its global scale and complementary medical-device businesses with Bard's specialty portfolio. The acquisition was completed in April 2017. Bard shareholders received cash and BD shares under the merger terms, and Bard's independent listing ended. After the transaction, Bard's products and operations were managed within BD's organizational structure. Some legacy Bard product names remained in use, but Bard no longer functioned as a separately listed corporation. Its continuing identity is therefore best understood as a legacy medical-device brand and portfolio within BD, rather than as an independent company.

• 2019

  FDA stops sale of transvaginal prolapse mesh

  [5]FDA orders manufacturers to stop selling and distributing transvaginal surgical meshfda.gov

  The FDA ordered manufacturers to stop selling and distributing surgical mesh products intended for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse.

• 2017

  BD announces acquisition of Bard

  [3]BD announces agreement to acquire C. R. Bardinvestors.bd.com

  Becton, Dickinson announced a cash-and-stock agreement to acquire Bard in a transaction valued at approximately $24 billion including assumed debt.

• 2017

  Acquisition completed

  [4]BD completes acquisition of C. R. Bardinvestors.bd.com

  BD completed its acquisition of Bard, and Bard ceased to be an independent publicly traded company.

• 2016

  Liberator Medical Holdings acquired

  [3]BD announces agreement to acquire C. R. Bardinvestors.bd.com

  Bard acquired Liberator Medical Holdings, expanding its urological and continence-care distribution and home-delivery capabilities.

• 1990

  Davol acquisition strengthens surgical products

  [2]C. R. Bard 2016 annual reportannualreports.com

  Bard acquired Davol, adding established surgical products and expanding its role in hernia repair and related surgical markets.

• 1907

  Company founded

  [1]Becton, Dickinson company historybd.com

  Charles Russell Bard founded the company in the United States, initially establishing a business associated with urological and catheter products.

A hospital-oriented medical-device supplier focused on specialized, procedure-based products in urology, vascular access, surgery, oncology, peripheral intervention, and drainage. Since 2017, the Bard portfolio has been positioned within Becton, Dickinson and Company's broader medical-technology platform.

• Urology

  Urological and continence products

  Bard's historic urology portfolio included intermittent, indwelling, and external urinary catheters, drainage products, and related continence-care supplies. These products served hospitals, clinics, home-care providers, and patients managing bladder dysfunction or urinary drainage needs. Following the BD acquisition, many legacy products continued within BD's urology and continence businesses.

• Vascular access and oncology

  PowerPort implantable access systems

  PowerPort systems are implantable venous-access ports used to provide repeated access to the bloodstream, including for chemotherapy, infusion, blood sampling, and contrast-enhanced imaging when the relevant product is indicated for that use. The portfolio formed part of Bard's vascular-access and oncology-device business and is now associated with BD.

• Surgery

  Surgical mesh and hernia-repair products

  Bard marketed mesh and related products for abdominal-wall repair, hernia surgery, and other surgical applications. Product indications varied by device. The category became legally and regulatorily significant because Bard's transvaginal mesh products were the subject of extensive litigation and FDA action; not all Bard surgical-mesh products were intended for transvaginal prolapse repair.

• Interventional devices

  Biopsy and drainage devices

  Bard's interventional portfolio included biopsy systems, drainage catheters, and associated access products used to obtain tissue samples or drain fluids. These devices supported minimally invasive procedures in hospitals and specialty clinics and complemented the company's oncology, vascular, and surgical businesses.

• Vascular intervention

  Peripheral vascular devices

  Bard supplied devices used in peripheral vascular procedures, including catheters and other endovascular tools. The business addressed minimally invasive treatment and diagnostic workflows involving peripheral arteries and veins and became part of BD's interventional and vascular portfolio after the acquisition.

• 2020

  Product-liability claims involving legacy Bard devices

  BD continued to disclose substantial litigation and claims inherited or associated with Bard businesses, including cases involving surgical mesh and other medical devices. The matters included claims, settlements, and proceedings whose outcomes varied by product and jurisdiction.

  Source

• 2019

  Transvaginal surgical-mesh litigation and FDA action

  Bard's transvaginal surgical-mesh products were the subject of extensive product-liability litigation. Plaintiffs alleged complications including pain, erosion, and organ injury. In 2019, the FDA ordered manufacturers to stop selling and distributing mesh products specifically intended for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse.

  Source

Read more

• 2019

  Withdrawal of transvaginal prolapse-mesh productsStrategy

  Background

  The FDA concluded that manufacturers had not demonstrated reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for surgical mesh products intended for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse.

  Action taken

  The FDA ordered manufacturers to stop selling and distributing those products in the United States.

  Aftermath

  The affected product category was removed from the U.S. market, while litigation and regulatory consequences continued for manufacturers and their corporate successors.

  Source

• 2017

  Becton, Dickinson acquisitionM&A

  Background

  BD and Bard pursued a combination to join complementary medical-device portfolios and increase scale across vascular access, surgery, oncology, urology, and other specialty markets.

  Action taken

  BD agreed to acquire Bard in a cash-and-stock transaction and completed the deal in April 2017.

  Aftermath

  Bard ceased to be an independent listed company and its businesses became part of BD. The Bard name continued on selected legacy products and in legal and regulatory records.

  Transaction value including assumed debt. Approximately 24 billion USD (2017 announcement)

  Source

• 2016

  Acquisition of Liberator Medical HoldingsM&A

  Background

  Bard sought to expand its urological and continence-care distribution and reach patients using home-delivery channels.

  Action taken

  Bard acquired Liberator Medical Holdings and added its distribution platform to the Bard portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The transaction broadened Bard's access to home-care and direct-to-consumer continence-supply markets before Bard itself was acquired by BD.

  Source

• 2020-01-15

  C. R. Bard acquires LifeBond[7]C. R. Bard收购LifeBondcalcalistech.com

  Reported: 2020-01-15

  New Jersey-based medical device company C. R. Bard Inc. acquired Israel-based medical device company LifeBond Ltd. for several tens of millions of dollars, according to a person familiar with the matter.

1. 1Becton, Dickinson company historybd.com
2. 2C. R. Bard 2016 annual reportannualreports.com
3. 3BD announces agreement to acquire C. R. Bardinvestors.bd.com
4. 4BD completes acquisition of C. R. Bardinvestors.bd.com
5. 5FDA orders manufacturers to stop selling and distributing transvaginal surgical meshfda.gov
6. 6BD regulatory and litigation disclosuressec.gov
7. 7C. R. Bard收购LifeBondcalcalistech.com