Galway, Ireland —08 September, 2016 — Vivasure Medical™, a company developing a novel bioabsorbable technology for percutaneous vessel closure, today announced that the company has completed a Series C financing of €16.2M ($18.3M). The round was led by LSP (Life Sciences Partners) of The Netherlands, investing from its LSP Health Economics Fund, and co-led by Evonik Venture Capital (Germany), alongside Panakes Partners (Italy) with returning Series A and B investors led by Fountain Healthcare Partners, Ireland.
The funding will support European commercialization of the company’s PerQseal™ technology to meet the growing demand for absorbable, percutaneous vessel closure products, as well as execution of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory study.
The Vivasure Closure Device is the first product from the company’s PerQseal™ technology platform, and is the only approved fully bioabsorbable, sutureless and entirely synthetic option to close large-bore arteriotomies that result from percutaneous transcatheter procedures, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). The device has been successfully evaluated in clinical studies, with patients treated in four European countries, achieving 97 percent device technical success with no major device related complications. Long-term follow-up data has been collected to 12 months post-procedure, and CE Mark was received in January 2016. The global market for large arteriotomy closure devices is growing rapidly and is expected to be more than $500 million by 2021.
“Patients with aortic valve stenosis, abdominal aortic aneurysms and other serious conditions are increasingly treated with minimally invasive percutaneous procedures,” said Gerard Brett, co-founder and CEO of Vivasure Medical. “The Vivasure closure device is designed to be easy to use, allowing the surgeon and interventional physician to provide a complete repair at the access site, without leaving metal implants, sutures, or exogenous tissue behind. Our goal is to facilitate improved therapeutic results for patients over the open-surgery alternative, faster recovery times, and cost savings for the healthcare system.”
“We are excited to support this innovative company and its vision of improving outcomes for patients as it moves into commercialization in the European Union and enters the United States,” said Anne Portwich, partner, LSP. “We look forward to working closely with Vivasure as the company continues to work toward gathering more data through clinical studies that will facilitate expansion of adoption in European markets and drive U.S. approval and commercialization of its first product.”
An arteriotomy is a puncture hole in a vessel in the groin that provides access to arteries for catheter-based procedures. The proprietary Vivasure closure device offers physicians an easy-to-use and fully percutaneous (through the skin) alternative to surgical cut-down and sutured repair via a 3- to 5- centimeter incision for large-bore arteriotomies.
About Vivasure Medical
Based in Galway, Ireland, Vivasure Medical has developed a patented bioabsorbable implant platform technology for applications in vessel closure. Its first product from this PerQseal platform features a bioabsorbable implant and percutaneous delivery system, designed to close large arteriotomies. For more information visit www.vivasuremedical.com.
About LSP
LSP (Life Sciences Partners) is an independent European investment firm, providing financing for private and public life sciences companies. LSP’s mission is to connect investors to inventors, focusing on unmet medical needs. Since the late 1980s, LSP’s management has invested in about 100 innovative enterprises, many of which have grown to become leaders of the global life sciences industry. With over €1 billion of investment capital raised to date and offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP is one of Europe’s leading life sciences investors. The LSP Health Economics Fund invests in innovative products that can increase the quality of health care, while reducing the cost of care. For more information, please visit: www.lspvc.com.
About Evonik VC
Evonik in the context of its venture capital activities wants to invest in total €100 million in promising start-ups with innovative technologies and in leading, specialized venture capital funds. Regional focuses on Europe, the United States and Asia. Currently, Evonik holds stakes in nine start-ups and four funds. More information is available at http://venturing.evonik.com/.
About Panakes Partners
Panakès Partners is a Venture Capital investor that finances medical companies, early stage startup and SMEs, with extremely promising products and great ambition, in Europe and Israel, improving both patient outcomes and healthcare economics. Investments focus on the medical device, diagnostics and healthcare IT fields. Panakès Partners is headquartered in Milan, Italy. www.panakes.it.
About Fountain Healthcare Partners
Fountain Healthcare Partners is a life science focused venture capital fund with €176 million ($200 million) under management. Within the life science sector, specific areas of interest to Fountain include specialty pharma, medical devices, biotechnology and diagnostics. The firm deploys the majority of its capital in Europe, with the balance in the United States. Fountain’s main office is in Dublin, Ireland, with a second office in New York. www.fh-partners.com.
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