Swedish hygiene and health company Essity is strengthening its offering in incontinence products through the acquisition of Dutch company Novioscan, a developer of wearable ultrasound technology that monitors the bladder and enables continence control.

The purchase price is approximately SEK70m (€6.5m) on a debt-free basis.

The Sens-U innovation is a wearable ultrasound sensor that measures the level in the bladder. It sends a discrete notification that allows the user to empty their bladder in time. A version of Sens-U for children is already available in the market and an adult version is under development.

“The Sens-U technology is an innovation that will strengthen Essity’s offering in incontinence care and give consumers an opportunity to live a healthier and more active life,” said Ulrika Kolsrud, president of health and medical products at Essity.

Novioscan was founded in 2014 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and has ten employees, all of whom will remain in the company.

Essity is a global player in incontinence products with the Tena brand. Incontinence affects 4 to 8% of the world’s adult population. Essity works to break barriers and the stigma associated with incontinence to improve well-being and help people live life to the fullest.

Headquartered in Stockholm, it has a products portfolio that also contains one-use products such as tissue paper, baby diapers, feminine care, incontinence products, compression therapy, orthopaedics and wound care.

Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the headline brands Tena and Tork, and other brands, such as Jobst, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, Vinda and Zewa. Essity has about 46,000 employees. Net sales in 2019 amounted to approximately SEK129bn (€12.2bn).