BellaNovus Development Co. LLC, maker of the Ouchless Needle, has been sold to Cleveland-based medical device firm Gebauer Co.
The deal was finalized last week, according to BellaNovus chief operating officer Peter Resnik. Resnik also is managing director of consulting firm Tocqueville Ventures LLC and operating director at private-equity firm Blue Equity LLC. 
Resnik declined to disclose financial terms of the deal.
The Ouchless Needle was developed by Louisville plastic surgeon Dr. Marc J. Salzman. The company was owned by a group of area investors, including Salzman, Blue Equity and the Kentucky Science and Technology Corp.
It also has a management contract with Blue Equity through which the private-equity firm worked to build the company and help find a buyer.
The Ouchless Needle distributes a cold topical spray, known as vapocoolant, which is aimed at the site of a needle injection to briefly numb the skin. It fits over syringes used for standard cosmetic procedures such as Botox or Restylane injections.
Resnik said Gebauer is an industry leader in medical devices that use vapocoolant, and the Ohio company was interested in obtaining Louisville-based BellaNovus’ patented vapocoolant distribution system.
The sale had been in the works for a while.
“We actually met with a number of global players in the cosmetic injections industry,” Resnick said. Gebauer was a good fit, he said, because the company knows vapocoolant products “better than anyone else in the world.”
Firm worked with local partners
Exactly what the purchase means for BellaNovus’ Louisville operations is unclear at this point.
BellaNovus employed only a couple of workers. Its marketing, manufacturing and distribution functions were outsourced to other local firms.
Occam Design LLC, a division of Louisville-based CreoSalus Inc., designed and manufactured the products. Marketing to doctors was handled by a network of independent representatives who specialized in the plastic surgery and dermatology fields.
BellaNovus also marketed the needles online and at trade shows, and it worked with Louisville-based marketing firm Contagious, Resnik said.
The product was shipped directly from the factory.
For now, Gebauer is going to take some time to evaluate the process and make a decision about how to move forward, Resnik said.
“The product definitely worked well,” he said, adding that the firm still is receiving calls from customers interested in the device.
BellaNovus has received some national recognition, appearing in a demonstration on the “Rachael Ray Show” in January and being featured in a cover story in May of last year in Today’s Medical Developments trade journal.