Luther Medical Completes Acquisition

Luther Medical Products Inc. said it purchased assets of West Virginia-based Pertrach Inc. for $60,000 plus royalties. Luther, which makes intravenous catheters, said that it has been manufacturing a Pertrach-designed product used to insert an emergency breathing tube in a patient’s trachea. However, the product’s inventor, Dr. Frederic J. Toye, who is also Pertrach’s former owner, had retained the marketing rights until now, said David Rollo, Luther’s chief executive.

With Toye retiring, Rollo said, Luther decided to buy Pertrach’s assets, trademarks and related patents rather than risk losing the manufacturing revenue. Rollo said the products had been generating about $400,000 annually for Pertrach, which expects to post sales of about $4 million for the year ending June 30.