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Press release June 13, 2007
Astra Tech, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is continuing its expansion in Mölndal, Sweden. On June 14, a new international research and training center will be officially opened. The investment totals SEK 220 million. Approximately 2,000 dentists from all over the world will come to the new center annually for training in the latest implant technology. In conjunction with the focus on research and training, close collaboration with the Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy will also be established.
These efforts are part of Astra Tech’s strategy for expansion in the field of dentistry. The new training center is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. The demand for dental implants is increasing and development is progressing at a rapid pace. Astra Tech’s annual growth is 40 percent, which is twice the growth rate of the international market for dental implants. Dental implants and related technology currently account for approximately half of Astra Tech’s revenues.
“We are growing rapidly on the important markets—the United States and Western Europe. Our system for dental implants is one of the most well documented ones in the world, which provides assurance to both the dentist and the patient,” says Peter Selley, CEO of Astra Tech.
The corporate campus in Mölndal has grown by nearly 25% due to the construction of the new center, and now covers an area of approximately 52,000 square meters (nearly 560,000 square feet). Astra Tech has newly employed an additional 400 people world-wide in the field of dentistry in the past few years, some fifty of whom are located in Mölndal.
Sweden has a leading international position in research and industrial development of dental implants. Astra Tech has developed and documented its implant system for the past 20 years. Clinical studies have shown that treatment with Astra Tech’s dental implant OsseoSpeedÔ is successful in 99 percent of cases.
With the new international training center, Astra Tech would like to contribute to the best possible quality of implant treatment. Good training creates the prerequisites for safe, secure treatment, and is an important part of Astra Tech’s efforts toward achieving good, long-term treatment results. Training will be conducted in a treatment environment that is equipped with the latest clinical technology and is adapted to modern teaching methods. Among other things, demonstration treatments will be conducted on patients. There is a lecture hall located adjacent to the new glass-enclosed clinic from which course participants can observe the treatment. Astra Tech’s facility also includes a laboratory for advanced training of dental technicians and dental nurses.
Collaboration with various universities in different areas of the world is an important part of Astra Tech’s focus on R&D and training. A new collaborative agreement has recently been reached with the Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University. This agreement paves the way for increased collaboration in science and training, and enables researchers from the Institute of Odontology to give lectures and conduct demonstrations in Astra Tech’s new training clinic. Astra Tech currently has similar affiliations with the University of North Carolina and the University of Iowa in the United States.
For additional information, please contact:
Peter Selley, CEO, Astra Tech AB,
phone +4631-7763110
Lars Henrikson, Vice President Marketing & Business Development, Astra Tech AB,
phone +4631-7763425, cell phone +46703-823425
Anders Holmén, Medical Director, Dental, Astra Tech AB,
phone +4631-7763053, cell phone +46705-563053
Astra Tech, a subsidiary of the AstraZeneca Group, develops, manufactures, and markets dental implants and advanced disposable medical equipment for the healthcare sector. The company develops products that lead to in improved treatment results, simplified work for healthcare personnel, and contribute to reducing healthcare costs.
Astra Tech’s headquarters and production facilities are located in Mölndal, Sweden. The company is represented globally by 15 subsidiaries and selected local partners. As of 2007, Astra Tech has a total of 1,900 employees world-wide. The company puts 5 percent of its revenues annually into research. Astra Tech’s revenues in 2006 totaled SEK 2.7 billion.
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