Covidien (formerly Tyco Healthcare) has laid the foundation of a 4,340 square-meter expansion at its R&D facility in Trévoux (Rhône-Alpes).

 

The expansion will allow the company to nearly double the R&D capacities of its French subsidiary, Sofradim, where its current 13,000 square-meter building houses research and production facilities as well as offices.

 

The €20 million expansion is expected to be operational by July of 2011. 

 

In 2005, Covidien acquired the French company Floréanne and renamed it Sofradim.  "This acquisition allowed us to gain a firm foothold in the implants market.  The company is destined to become our global center of excellence in the field of abdominal wall surgery," added Scott Flora, President of Covidien's surgical device division.