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German medical technology company pioneering pump-less extracorporeal gas exchange for lung failure.

Last updated September 27, 2026

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Overview

Novalung GmbH is a German medical technology company based in Heilbronn, Germany. It was founded in 2003 in Hechingen and is recognized as the world's first company to use a pump-less gas exchanger for extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal. The company develops and markets devices for the treatment of lung failure, including the iLA Membrane Ventilator and NovaPort cannulas, which provide an alternative to invasive mechanical ventilation. These products enable extracorporeal gas exchange, restoring blood gas concentrations to physiological ranges, and have been used in over 4,000 clinical applications. Novalung has a subsidiary, Novalung Inc., established in 2005 in Ann Arbor, USA, to collaborate in the North American market. The company moved its headquarters from Hechingen to Talheim in 2008, then to Heilbronn in 2010. Production, initially in Oberstenfeld from 2009, was also relocated to Heilbronn in 2013. In 2011, Novalung acquired Medos Medizintechnik AG to expand blood pump expertise. In 2013, Novalung and Medos merged to form Xenios AG, a holding company. Since the end of 2016, Xenios AG has been part of Fresenius Medical Care. In August 2019, Novalung GmbH was fully integrated into Xenios AG. Novalung's products are used as a bridge to lung transplantation and to avoid mechanical ventilation, developed in cooperation with leading international physicians.

History

Novalung GmbH began business operations in 2003 at its Hechingen location. The iLA Membrane Ventilator received CE marking. The company entered a research cooperation with HIMOX and conducted a research project on a percutaneously insertable lung that lies resistance-neutral in the vena cava. It also started a development and technology cooperation with a leading US research group on artificial lungs. In 2005, Novalung founded Novalung Inc. in Ann Arbor, USA, to collaborate in the North American market. In 2005, Novalung moved into a Class 100,000 cleanroom production facility with an area of 300 m². The Vision-α high-frequency ventilator was launched in 2007. The headquarters of Novalung GmbH was relocated from Hechingen to Talheim, Landkreis Heilbronn. VentProtect, a filter heater for use with the Vision α high-frequency ventilator, was introduced. Production was moved to Oberstenfeld in 2009 and relocated to the headquarters in Heilbronn in 2013. In 2011, Novalung GmbH acquired Aachen-based Medos Medizintechnik AG to expand blood pump expertise and technology for lung therapies. In 2013, Novalung and Medos merged with the founding of a holding company, Xenios AG. Since the end of 2016, Xenios AG has belonged to Fresenius Medical Care. At the end of August 2019, Novalung GmbH was fully absorbed into Xenios AG.

  • 2019

    Novalung GmbH fully absorbed into Xenios AG.

  • 2016

    Xenios AG became part of Fresenius Medical Care.

  • 2013

    Merged with Medos to form Xenios AG; production relocated to Heilbronn.

  • 2011

    Acquired Medos Medizintechnik AG in Aachen.

  • 2010

    Headquarters moved to Heilbronn.

  • 2009

    Production moved to Oberstenfeld.

  • 2008

    Headquarters moved from Hechingen to Talheim.

  • 2007

    Vision-α high-frequency ventilator launched; VentProtect filter heater introduced.

  • 2005

    Novalung Inc. established in Ann Arbor; moved into Class 100,000 cleanroom production facility.

  • 2004

    Subsidiary Novalung Inc. founded in Ann Arbor, USA.

Products and positioning

Pioneer in pump-less extracorporeal lung support, offering alternatives to invasive mechanical ventilation.

  • iLA Membrane Ventilator

    Pump-less extracorporeal gas exchanger for CO2 removal and lung support.

  • NovaPort cannulas

    Cannulas for extracorporeal lung support.

  • Vision-α high-frequency ventilator

    High-frequency ventilator launched in 2007.

  • VentProtect

    Filter heater for use with the Vision α high-frequency ventilator.

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