- Cardiovascular diseases affect 520 million people worldwide every day.
- Of the 34 companies operating in the Coyol Free Zone, 9 export cardiovascular products.
Alajuela, September 27, 2024. Nine renowned multinational companies that have chosen Coyol Free Zone as the site for their operations have found in Costa Rican talent a key ally to manufacture advanced medical devices that improve the lives of millions of people with heart conditions.
These are companies that literally give the heart a break by producing a wide range of high value-added technologies and devices such as catheters, heart valves, compression stockings, sequential compression devices for the prevention of thrombosis, and vascular access devices.
Vascular devices, such as catheters, help restore blood flow in blocked arteries, improve circulation and reduce the risk of serious cardiac events such as heart attacks. Ablation catheters are also manufactured to improve cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, compression stockings and sequential compression devices exert pressure on the legs to increase blood flow and prevent deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
These advances help to prolong the lives of patients. According to data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), cardiovascular diseases affect 520 million people worldwide. In Costa Rica, for example, the Costa Rican Social Security Administration alone treated 21,380 patients in the last 5 years for acute myocardial infarction and 4,704 patients left the hospital after cardiac catheterization in the last year.
In the framework of World Heart Day, which is celebrated this September 29, Carlos Wong, Managing Director of CODE Development Group, co-developer of Coyol Free Zone, pointed out that this park makes significant efforts so that the multinationals located in the park may have buildings, infrastructure, complementary services and an innovative environment that allow them to work daily, bringing wellness and health to millions of people around the world.
Synergies are established in Coyol Free Zone by having high value-added services such as sterilization, packaging and logistics, among others, thus allowing companies to achieve greater efficiencies and a significant reduction in delivery times, so that the finished product is exported directly from Costa Rica to the final markets.
Health exported to the world
Abbott Medical is one of the companies that manufactures, among other devices, a state-of-the-art transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system designed to treat severe aortic stenosis in patients at high surgical risk. This is a system that offers physicians and patients less invasive options for treating cardiac conditions.
Its technological advances allow products manufactured in Costa Rica to be distributed to all continents through exports to key markets such as Brazil, the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands.
“These destinations reflect our commitment to excellence and quality, ensuring that our cutting-edge medical solutions reach patients and healthcare professionals around the world. Through our efforts at Coyol Free Zone, we are making a significant contribution to improving global health and wellness”, said Javier Gómez, Senior Site Director.
Abbott Medical exports 2.4 million units annually in the categories of Electrophysiology and Structural Heart and from its Vascular plant, exports to countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States close to 6 million units annually.
Sergio Avitia, Manufacturing Director of CardinalHealth, also stated that they produce and export 20 million pairs of compression products per year and 400 thousand units per year of catheters for umbilical vessels (UVC) and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC). The company exports mainly to the United States and Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Avitia noted that in addition, the operation of CardinalHealth in Coyol Free Zone is working “in the development of improvements in sequential compression devices by means of a new generation of pumps and devices that further optimize performance”.
In turn, Theragenics exports around 8 million devices annually to the United States, from where they are distributed to the local market and Europe.
“Our devices allow vascular access, which is a necessary complement in all types of procedures that require entering the circulatory system. In addition, we are working on the development of two devices with new resins that contain differentiated levels of radio opacity, allowing doctors an improved view during the use of fluoroscopy for access to the vascular system,” said David Rodríguez, Engineering Manager at Theragenics.
The value of each employee
These three companies emphasized that, in parallel to their daily operations, they develop different efforts to promote prevention and wellness among their employees in the country. CardinalHealth develops campaigns on good eating and physical activity practices, provides access to a gym for its employees and coaches in different disciplines to promote discipline and physical education.
Theragenics has its own internal contest “Reto de Pasos” (Steps Challenge) to encourage physical activity, also involving its employees in the Coyol Classic, an annual internal competition developed by Coyol Free Zone.
Abbott Medical organizes sports activities such as soccer tournaments, has team exercise such as the Exercise Across Abbott program, and invests in free duly equipped gyms, so that employees can visit them in their free time.
It also develops health fairs, wellness fairs, Heart Day celebrations with advice on how to take care of cardiovascular health, and complete medical examinations, among others. The company also has the podcast “Mi Mejor Versión” (My Best Version), a space to increase knowledge by addressing daily topics such as “Tips to quit smoking” or “Healthy habits”.
“At Abbott, we deeply value our employees. We are dedicated to making a significant impact on human health. At our plants in Costa Rica, our focus is on our employees and their families,” concluded Javier Gómez, Senior Site Director.
| Abbott Medical | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Theragenics | 2014 |
| CardinalHealth | 2017 |
To learn about job opportunities offered by these companies, visit the Coyol Free Zone Job Exchange: https://www.empleocode.com/