News and analysis on medical technology

Gore Completes Acquisition of Conformal Medical, Developer of CLAAS AcuFORM LAAO System

The privately held materials science company adds an investigational left atrial appendage occlusion device to its cardiac pipeline; terms were not disclosed.

By News DeskFebruary 19, 20262 min read
Exterior of an office building
An administration building of W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH in Putzbrunn, Germany. Mattes, CC BY 2.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 DE

Key points

  • W. L. Gore & Associates said on February 19 it completed its acquisition of Conformal Medical, six weeks after announcing the agreement on January 5.
  • Conformal is developing the investigational CLAAS AcuFORM System for left atrial appendage occlusion, which is in clinical testing and not available for commercial use.
  • Conformal will operate as a wholly owned Gore subsidiary and continue its planned clinical studies; financial terms were not disclosed.

W. L. Gore & Associates said on Thursday, February 19, that it has completed its acquisition of Conformal Medical, the developer of the investigational CLAAS AcuFORM System, a left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) device, according to Gore's announcement. Gore, based in Newark, Delaware, did not disclose the price.

Gore first said it had entered into a definitive agreement to buy Conformal on January 5, when it expected the deal to close in early 2026, subject to regulatory approval, according to its earlier release.

"With this acquisition now complete, we are further strengthening Gore's product development pipeline in endovascular treatment, with the goal of reaching more patients," said Bret Snyder, Gore's board chair and chief executive.

The device

LAAO is a one-time procedure for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation that aims to reduce the risk of stroke-causing blood clots forming in the left atrial appendage and to eliminate the need for long-term oral anticoagulants, Gore said in January. The CLAAS AcuFORM System uses a nitinol endoskeleton with a proprietary foam implant designed to conform to a wider range of appendage shapes with fewer sizes, and comes in two sizes, according to the company.

Gore said the device has the potential to make LAAO a same-day procedure without general anesthesia or an overnight hospital stay. Those are company claims; the system is in clinical testing and is not available for commercial use.

What changes

Conformal will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Gore, and its focus will remain on advancing its investigational technology and conducting clinical studies as planned, Gore said. The deal expands Gore's structural heart and endovascular portfolio, Cardiac Interventions Today reported.

"Joining the Gore Enterprise represents an important next chapter for Conformal Medical," said James Reinstein, Conformal's president and chief executive.

Gore, a materials science company founded in 1958, has about 12,000 employees, whom it calls Associates, and annual revenue of $5.6 billion, according to the release. It says it has implanted more than 50 million medical devices over 50 years in medical technology. BDT & MSD Partners advised Gore on the transaction and Piper Sandler advised Conformal, Gore said in January.

Sources

  1. W. L. Gore & Associates Completes Acquisition of Conformal Medical, Gore newsroom, February 19, 2026
  2. Gore Completes Acquisition of Conformal Medical, Cardiac Interventions Today, February 19, 2026
  3. W. L. Gore & Associates to Acquire Conformal Medical, Expanding its Presence in Endovascular Treatments, Gore newsroom, January 5, 2026