A Medical Device Daily

Michael Land, president of Phadia US (Portage, Michigan), a maker of in vitro allergy diagnostics and ImmunoCAP Specific IgE blood testing, died Monday when the aircraft he was piloting crashed after taking off from Tri-State Airport, in Huntington, West Virginia. His 23-year-old son, Drew, was also killed in the plane crash.

Land had a 20-year career with Phadia, during which time he ascended from a sales role to president of the company's U.S. operations in 1996. His leadership drove Phadia's U.S. growth by double digits in each of the past 9 years, establishing the company's ImmunoCAP business as a top in vitro IgE test in the U.S.

Magnus Lundberg, COE of Phadia AB (Uppsala, Sweden), will lead the U.S. operations until a permanent successor to Land is named. Lundberg said, "The entire Phadia team mourns the loss of Michael Land, and our heart goes out to the Land family. Michael was a wonderful human being – a hard working and visionary leader and devoted father and husband. His leadership, upbeat personality, and charisma will be sorely missed by everyone at Phadia."