CARLSBAD – Nuance Medical has added its second new brand within four months with the winning bid to acquire the silicone gel scar treatment brand Biocorneum.
The Carlsbad-based company acquired the brand through an $8 million winning bid from Irvine-based Sientra, Inc., which announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February.
Nuance Medical President Mark Steele said the acquisition will allow the company to expand its arsenal of silicone scar management products available to healthcare professionals.


President
Nuance Medical
As Steele explained, scars are formed from the protein collagen, and silicone treatment is known to reduce its production.
“Silicone creates a nice environment and turns off the collagen,” he said. “It’s mostly used for new scars but can be used for old scars as well.”
Sientra also sold its breast-implant business, which was acquired by Tiger Aesthetic Medical LLC for $42.5 million. Nuance, however, had its eyes on Biocorneum, which fit its business model.
“Biocorneum was a great product for them, and they did a great job developing the brand,” Steele said. “As for the auction process itself, we weren’t interested in the breast-implant part of the business.”
Sientra had marketed the two products together as a way of treating scars that otherwise would be left by implant surgery. Steele said Nuance had admired Biocorneum for a long time and expects his company will grow the brand.
Biocorneum will become part of Nuance’s Biodermis portfolio, the company’s brand of silicone scar management products acquired two years ago.
Biodermis is a designer and marketer of wound and silicone scar management products used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons and other healthcare professionals throughout the U.S. and more than 50 countries.
With the acquisition of Biocorneum, Nuance already has expanded its workforce by two sales people who had worked with Sientra. Steele said more growth is expected.
Healthcare professionals will sell the non-prescription product to patients. Steele said it’s unclear how many people may benefit from it, but it could be millions.
“Our commitment is to the health care professional,” Steele said. “That’s where the brand really came to live and expanded. The former owner did a fantastic job of developing the brand with plastic surgeons and also dermatologists.”
Second Product Acquisition of Year
Biocorneum adds to the product line already marketed by Nuance, which was founded in 2013 with CryoDose, a line of cryotherapy and topical anesthetic sprays for the physician and hospital markets. The brand includes many FDA-cleared products that are distributed to more than 25,000 offices and hospitals throughout the U.S.
In January, Nuance acquired Beutlich Pharmaceuticals and its HurriCane brand. The company is a leader in the topical anesthetic market, and Steele said it is what dentists often apply to numb gums before shots.
“We’re not bashful about acquisitions,” Steele said, adding that the company would like to develop its own products in the future.
Steele said no other acquisitions are in sight in the immediate future, but he did joke that they might like to take on a company with a name that does not begin with a B, having already purchased Biodermis, Beutlich and now Biocorneum.
“There’s just an overall growth goal,” he said. “We’ve got three great brands. That itself is a great opportunity to be able to grow.”
Steele said the acquisition integrates Biocorneum’s strong presence in the professional healthcare sector with Biodermis’ comprehensive range of silicone care management products.
“We are excited about the combined capabilities this brings and the enhanced benefits it offers to our healthcare partners and their patients,” he said.
In the immediate future, Nuance will work to assist existing Biocorneum customers in placing orders and inquiries directly to Biodermis to facilitate a smooth transition.
Nuance Medical
FOUNDED: 2013
PRESIDENT: Mark Steele
HEADQUARTERS: Carlsbad
BUSINESS: Designer, developer and marketer of branded and private label medical products.
EMPLOYEES: 55 employees
WEBSITE: www.nuancemedical.com/
SOCIAL IMPACT: The company specializes in silicone scar management products that can reduce scarring such as those left from a C-section or ACL procedure.
NOTABLE: The company’s legacy national brand CryoDose is distributed to more than 25,000 offices and hospitals throughout the U.S.