2011

Clinical study with good results using STEEN Solution™ published in the prestigious scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine (www.nejm.org). The most recent hospital to use the method is Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. 

First company in China to receive regulatory approval for an entire IVF culture media portfolio. 

SpermFreeze Solution™, which is used for freeze storage of sperm, has obtained a CE mark and is thereby approved for sales within the European Economic Area (EEA).   

Patent for Swemed Sense™ in Europe was obtained, which meant both design protection and product patent protection for Swemed Sense™ in strategically important European markets. 

2010

Several European hospitals choose STEEN Solution™ method for transplantations.

Licensing agreement regarding a patent and know-how for media intended for the cultivation of pluripotent stem cells was signed with Finn-Medi Research Ltd.

Collaboration agreement was entered with the Danish company HertART Aps with regard to product development and distribution of IVF products and at the same time a participation of 25 percent in the company was acquired.

Launch of a new generation of Growth Factors and Cytokines for cultivation of stem cells.

Products for cold storage of embryos (RapitVit™ Blast and RapidWarm™ Blast) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA.

Acquisition of the business in Conception Technologies, USA, which means broadening of the IVF product portfolio, increased cost-efficient production capacity and increased market share, above all in North America.

2009

New market organization established in Japan

Sales office was established in Beijing, China.

Research grant received from VINNOVA for development of the clinical stem-cell media of tomorrow.

Swemed Sense™ needle was approved for sales in Australia.

New cooperation agreement was signed with Cellartis AB.

Acqusition of distributor in Great Britain and Ireland, IVF Limited.

2008

Investment in a new, more efficient, production facility in Göteborg and consolidation of Sweden-business to one facility,

Approval for STEEN Solution™ study from the Canadian authorities.

Lung transplantations using the STEEN Solution™ technology carried out in North America.

Approval of Swemed Sense™ - new unique needle for the collection of human oocytes in Europe.

Products for cold storage (used for so-called vitrification, rapid freezing and thawing of cleavage embryos) of embryos approved in USA and Canada (RapidVit™ Cleave och RapidWarm™ Cleave).

IVF products approved in Russia.

Start of direct marketing of all fertility products in France.

Acquisition of majority shareholding in Italian distributor.

2007

Launch of a new product series within Fertility, the G5 Series™.

As one of the first companies outside Australia, sales approval from the Australian Medical Products Agency, TGA, for its fertility media was received.

Notice of allowance for STEEN Solution™ patent in USA and Australia was received.

2006

Swemed was acquired. Swemed manufactures and markets medical device products for in vitro fertilization.

STEEN Solution™, a solution for the testing of lung function outside the body before transplantation, is approved for sales in Europe.

2005

Sales approval in the USA – for ICSI™ (intracytoplasmatic sperm injection, a technology for the treatment of male infertility) is obtained.

A new product line called GIII Series Plus, media from the GIII Series supplemented with human albumin (ready-to-use), is introduced.

2004

Vitrolife receives marketing approval from FDA for new products within Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and European approval (CE mark) for a complete series of products within ART.

Vitrolife’s first two commercial products for stem cell research, VitroHES (a nutrient solution for the culture of human embryonic stem cells) and VitroPBS (a product for frozen storage of human embryonic stem cells), are being introduced.

A patent regarding the use of recombinant albumin with or without hyaluronic acid in media for embryos and stem cells is approved in USA.

The first round of production for the market is carried out at the new factory in Denver, USA.

2003

At the beginning of the year, Magnus Nilsson was appointed CEO.

The administration, finance, marketing and logistics departments were transferred from Gothenburg to the production facilities in Kungsbacka, Sweden.

A patent was granted in USA for a new, rapid-freeze storage technique for living cells, called Vitroloop®.

EmbryoGlue® was approved in USA and launched globally. The product aids embryo implantation in the womb.

The subsidiaries (A-Life) which developed the implant with chemically stabilized hyaluronic acid for aesthetic facial treatment were sold in August to Mentor Corp., USA.

2002

The first commercial media products were shipped from the Kungsbacka production facility and the first products were distributed to American customers from the facility in Denver.

510 (k) approval received from the FDA in USA to market new cell culture media for in-vitro fertilization (the GIII Series), based on recombinant albumin and hyaluronan.

2001

On June 26, the Vitrolife share was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange’s O-list in conjunction with a new share issue of SEK 160 million.

FDA approval (USA) of Perfadex® was received and the world’s first media for IVF entirely free from blood-extracted material was launched.

Beyond HSA – Recombinant media r-S1™/ r-S2™ was developed.

The plant in Kungsbacka was acquired.

2000

Professor Stig Steen in Lund conducts the first transplantation procedure on man with lungs from a non heart-beating donor. The lungs were preserved in Vitrolife's solution Perfadex®.

A merger of equals is completed with Fermentech. Skanditek hereby becomes the largest shareholder in the merged company, which trades under the name Vitrolife.

1998

Scandinavian IVF Science changes its name to Vitrolife. The lung preservation solution Perfadex® is acquired. Co-operation with Professor Stig Steen, within the area of transplantation, is initialized.

First sequential media G1™/ G2™ v. 2 is developed.

1996

Scandinavian IVF Science presents a fully developed and complete product portfolio of IVF-media. Co-operation between Scandinavian IVF Science and Fermentech, a company in Scotland with production of hyaluronic acid-based products, is initiated.

1994

Scandinavian IVF Science launches the first IVF-product, ICSI medium. Collaboration with Dr. Gardner in Denver, Colorado, US is initiated.

Scandinavian IVF Science, founded in 1989 as a spin-off from the University of Gothenburg and Fertilitetscentrum at the Carlanderska Sjukhemmet, begins its operations.

1983

New technique -follicle aspiration needle with ultrasound probe was developed Swemed/Vitrolife.

1981

Fermentech, later Vitrolife UK, is founded, focusing on research and production of protein A and hyaluronic acid.