Another month and a half of patience. This is the waiting period before knowing the fate reserved for Carmat, the French flagship of the artificial heart, plagued by significant financial difficulties. While the Versailles commercial court would decide on Tuesday, August 19 about the only acquisition offer that was presented to save the Heart Aeson manufacturer, the hearing finally postponed until September 30, according to our information.
This postponement generates frustration among employees, who had a small hope of being assumed in case of validation of the commercial court offer.
And for a good reason, the acquisition offer presented by Pierre Basid, the current president of the Board of Directors of Carmat, which BFM Business has consulted, promises to resume all the necessary contracts for the continuation of the company’s activity, that is, that is, 138 employees in total.
An offer at 1 million euros
The former head of Schneider, Valeo and Thomson, who arrived at the head of the Board of Directors in June 2024 and already holder of 20% of the company, Pierre Basid seems very motivated to save Carmat. It is put in table 1 million euros to take care of this French manufacturer of artificial hearts through its Belgian family company. But in addition to the purchase price, he commits Provide 150 million euros for five years, including 40 million for next January.
To finance the acquisition of Carmat, Pierre Basid has just sold a prestigious real estate asset in New York, estimated at $ 76 million.
Liquidation risk
As a reminder, the company created in 2008 and Ipart the stock market since 2010 had requested its investment in judicial administration at the beginning of summer. A decision -making decision of this French medical innovation symbol, in lack of payment after not being able to gather the necessary funds to pay their creditors.
If the judge pronounces the liquidation next September, he will sign the most promising artificial hearts in the world. The only recovery offer that was presented before the deadline established for July 31 is the only opportunity to save 30 years of research and the middle-medium heart transplantation invested in the heart.
A new version of the heart in development
On the other hand, if the court validates the offer presented by Pierre Basid, the game will still be far from being won. Because the offer must also be approved by the Ministry of Economy before being ratified. In fact, Carmat officiates in the strategic public health sector and would then be addressed by a foreign company, in this Belgian case, which requires the posterior current of the government.
However, to put Carmat on the feet again, the most sustainable solution would be to transplant no less than 500 hearts per year. But with only 42 operations last year and 16 in the first quarter of 2025, the French company is still far from being profitable. A new version of the heart is in development and Pierre Basid promises to increase the price by 15 to 20%, today to 167,000 euros on average.
Source: BFM TV
