Our story

Vitrolife was established in Sweden in 1994 when the field of assisted reproduction was still young.

The possibility to help people become parents through assisted reproduction became a reality in the 1960s, following the development of a method for fertilising eggs outside the body. The birth of Louise Brown in 1978 – the first baby born as a result of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) – gave new hope to men and women suffering from infertility.

As IVF techniques developed, the importance of individual components on IVF success began to be understood. 

The founders of Vitrolife realised the value of using culture media with consistent and repeatable performance; the manufacturing and delivering of the LOT-to-LOT consistency they developed is still significant for Vitrolife today.

Through well-executed product development, consistent quality controls and the acquisition of other innovative IVF companies, Vitrolife has grown with the market globally. As a result, Vitrolife provides an unbroken chain of quality products, securing results at every step of IVF treatment. Only Vitrolife can guarantee every link in this chain.

Together with equally devoted clinics, we are improving IVF success and fulfilling more couples’ greatest dream. We are very proud to be a part of making this happen.

2019

• Vitrolife aquires the business of UK distributor Parallabs Ltd.
  
  
• Vitrolife aquires artificial intelligence technology for embryo assessment.

2018

• Vitrolife becomes exclusive distributor to Illumina's preimplantation genetic testing business for IVF in EMEA and Americas.
  
  

• Partnership with GE Healthcare to improve assisted reproductive technology offerings.

2017

• Launch of RapidVit™ Omni and RapidWarm™ Omni for vitrification and warming of oocytes through to blastocyst stage embryos.

2016

• Launch of EmbryoScope+ time-lapse incubator, for undisturbed culture and improved selection of embryos.
  
  

• Acquisition of OCTAX Microscience GmbH and MTG Medical Technology Vertriebs-GmbH, jointly holding a world-leading position in laser technology for IVF.

2015

• Launch of RapidVit™ Oocyte and RapidWarm™ Oocyte for oocyte vitrification.
  
  
• Launch of the Time-lapse by Vitrolife concept. Complete time-lapse systems - from optimised culture medium to fully integrated bench-top incubators.

2014

• Launch of G-TL™ – the first culture medium specially designed for time-lapse.
  
  
• Acquisition of Unisense FertiliTech A/S, the market leader within the field of time-lapse for IVF, with the product EmbryoScope® time-lapse system.

2013

• Launch of Vitrolife Labware – exclusively plastic consumables certified for human IVF.

2012

• Acquisition of Cryo Management Ltd, one of the world's leading players within time-lapse for IVF, developer of Primo Vision™ time-lapse embryo monitoring system.
  
  
• Launch of SpermGrad™ kits, ready-to-use.

2011

• First company in China to receive regulatory approval for an entire IVF culture media portfolio.
  
  
• Launch of SpermFreeze Solution™ for cryopreservation of sperm.

2010

• Launch of Rapid-i™ Vitrification System.
  
  
• Acquisition of the business in Conception Technologies, USA, which broadened the IVF product portfolio with an extensive line of micropipettes.

2009

• New market organisation established in Beijing, China and in Tokyo, Japan.

2008

• Launch of Sense™, a unique oocyte aspiration needle.

2007

• Launch of a new product series for embryo culture - the G5 Series™.
  
  
• Launch of vitrification media RapidVit™ Blast and RapidWarm™ Blast.

2006

• Acquisition of Swemed Lab and the product portfolio was extended with micropipettes and oocyte retrieval needles.

2005

• Launch of the new product line GIII-Series™ PLUS, media from the GIII Series™ supplemented with human albumin (ready-to-use).

2003

• Launch of EmbryoGlue®, an implantation promoting medium.

2002

• Launch of GIII-series™, a new culture media series.

2001

• Beyond HSA – Recombinant media r-S1™/ r-S2™ was developed and launched.
   
• The Vitrolife share was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's O-list in conjunction with a new share issue of SEK 160 million.

1998

• First sequential media G-1™ and G-2™ was developed and launched.

1994

• Vitrolife was founded.
  
  
• The first IVF-product, an ICSI medium, was initiated by Prof L Hamberger and Dr Svalander. Later on, it was also launched as the first commercial ICSI medium.