KaNDy Therapeutics announces positive clinical data with lead candidate NT-814 for the treatment of symptoms of the menopause

~ Phase Ib/IIa data showed rapid and highly significant reductions in the frequency and severity of hot flashes and the number of night time awakenings~

~ NT-814 is being developed to provide a valid alternative to hormone replacement therapy and will now move into a Phase IIb trial~

~ KaNDy Therapeutics also announces it will be attending the 16th World Congress on Menopause in Vancouver from 6-9 June~

Stevenage, UK – KaNDy Therapeutics, a UK clinical-stage biotech company, today announces positive data from the Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial with its lead non-hormonal drug candidate, NT-814, for the treatment of symptoms of the menopause. 

Results from the trial provide compelling evidence that NT-814, a novel, once-daily, oral neurokinin-1,3 receptor antagonist, produces a rapid and profound reduction in debilitating symptoms of the menopause including vasomotor symptoms (VMS), also known as HF, and night time awakenings. 

Based on these results, KaNDy Therapeutics intends to advance NT-814 into a fully powered Phase IIb definitive dose-ranging study in patients suffering from debilitating symptoms of the menopause. The Phase IIb trial will begin later this year.

The Phase Ib/IIa RELENT-1 study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at three clinical pharmacology units (CPUs) in the US.  Seventy-six women aged 41 to 64 years experiencing 7-20 moderate or severe hot flashes/flushes (HF) per week were recruited into the study and randomized to receive one of four escalating doses of NT-814 or placebo.

Treatment with NT-814 once daily for two weeks at the most effective dose evaluated, resulted in rapid and highly significant reductions in:

  • the frequency of HF, with a reduction of 62% from baseline in the number of moderate and severe HF vs 24% for placebo in Week 1 (p<0.0014) and an 84% reduction from baseline vs 37% for placebo in week 2 (p<0.0002)
  • the severity of HF, with a reduction of 23% from baseline in average HF severity vs 9% for placebo in week 1 (p<0.015) and a 50% reduction from baseline vs 16% for placebo in Week 2 (p<0.0004)
  • the number of night time awakenings, with a reduction of 58% from baseline vs 17% for placebo in Week 1 (p< 0.0022) and an 81% reduction from baseline vs 32% for placebo in Week 2 (p< 0.0005).


NT-814 was well tolerated with no safety concerns across the dose range including routine safety labs, liver function tests, ECGs and vital signs.

Professor Richard Anderson, Elsie Inglis Professor of Clinical Reproductive Science, University of Edinburgh, and a scientific and clinical advisor to KaNDY Therapeutics, said: “These are very promising results which suggest that NT-814, a novel once daily treatment taken orally, may offer women with debilitating symptoms of the menopause, a real alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In contrast to HRT, which can take weeks or months to be fully effective, both hot flashes and night-time awakenings responded rapidly and with big changes with NT-814.”

In addition, KaNDy Therapeutics announces it will be attending the 16th World congress on Menopause taking place in Vancouver, Canada, from 6-9 June 2018.  To arrange a meeting with Dr Mary Kerr, Managing Director of KaNDy Therapeutics at the congress, please contact info@kandytherapeutics.com

About the RELENT-1 Study: The Phase Ib/IIa RELENT-1 study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at three clinical pharmacology units (CPU) in the US.  Seventy-six women aged 41 to 64 years experiencing 7-20 moderate or severe HFs per week were recruited into the study and randomized to receive one of four escalating doses of NT-814 or placebo in four cohorts. Study drug was taken once daily in the morning for 14 days, the first seven of which were resident in the CPU. Subjects completed diaries twice daily for the two weeks before and throughout treatment and underwent routine safety assessments periodically throughout the trial. Further information on the study design can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov and full results of the study will be published at scientific congresses and in peer-reviewed journals over the coming months. 

NT-814 is an orally administered, potent and selective small molecule dual antagonist of both the neurokinin-1 and 3 receptors under development by KaNDy as a therapy for a range of Women’s Health conditions. NT-814 addresses VMS by modulating a group of oestrogen sensitive neurones in the hypothalamus in the brain (the KNDy neurones), that in menopausal women due to the absence of oestrogen, become hyperactive and consequently disrupt body heat control mechanisms resulting in the debilitating vasomotor symptoms of HF.

KaNDy Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company focused on optimizing the potential of NT-814 in the treatment of common, chronic debilitating female sex-hormone related conditions. These conditions, such as post-menopausal VMS, are debilitating for women often over many years and associated with significant healthcare and economic costs.

For more information, please contact

KaNDy Therapeutics
Mary Kerr, Managing Director of KaNDy Therapeutics
Tel: +44 1438 906960
Email: info@kandytherapeutics.com

Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott/ Lindsey Neville/ Carina Jurs
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700
KaNDyTherapeutics@consilium-comms.com 

Medical Device Company, Neurent Medical Closes €9.3m Series A Financing

Galway, Ireland – Neurent Medical Limited, an Irish medical device company specialising in the treatment of rhinitis, announces that it has raised €9.3m ($11m) in a Series A financing round led by Fountain Healthcare Partners with participation from Atlantic Bridge Capital, the Western Development Commission, Enterprise Ireland and a syndicate of Irish and US Medical Device veterans. This funding will be used to advance product development, carry out clinical trials and prepare for US commercialisation of the device. As part of the Series A financing, Justin Lynch of Fountain Healthcare Partners will join the Board of Directors of Neurent Medical. Existing independent Non-Executive Director Mark Fletcher (former President of Medtronic’s ENT business) will be retained on the board with Brian Shields and David Townley.

Rhinitis is reported to affect 30% of the population. It is associated with direct healthcare costs of up to $15bn per year in the US. Rhinitis has a proven major impact on quality of life, cognitive function and decision-making and is associated with decreased work productivity and absenteeism. Neurent Medical is developing a novel therapy that will offer allergic and non-allergic rhinitis patients an alternative, minimally invasive, and more readily accessible treatment to alleviate the two primary symptoms of rhinitis, rhinorrhoea and nasal obstruction. Neurent Medical’s therapy will enable ENT surgeons to treat rhinitis patients in an ENT office setting using only local anaesthesia, removing the complications and costs associated with existing surgical procedures. The potential market is as high as $2bn upon full commercialisation following successful clinical trial completion.

Commenting on their investment in Neurent Medical, Justin Lynch, Partner at Fountain Healthcare Partners said, “A substantial portion of the rhinitis patient population are candidates for surgical treatments but currently the surgical treatments are sub-optimal, provide only temporary relief and really only address the symptoms of nasal obstruction and do little or nothing for rhinorrhoea. Neurent Medical with its novel therapy, is seeking to improve outcomes, lower complications with extended duration of relief of both rhinitis symptoms, rhinorrhoea and nasal obstruction.  We are investing in Neurent to help build a credible and sustainable business with great growth potential”. 

Neurent Medical Chief Executive Brian Shields commented, “We are delighted to announce this investment, which will help us to advance our product development and ultimately get our technology in the hands of ENT surgeons. Fountain Healthcare Partners, along with other members of our investment syndicate, bring huge experience to Neurent Medical and have a proven track record in the industry. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank Enterprise Ireland for their continued support over the past number of years”

Neurent Medical expects to create up to 25 new positions in the company  as a result of this investment. This includes a series of both senior management and technical/functional hires over the coming months to fulfil the Research & Development, Quality and Regulatory Assurance and Manufacturing functions of the company. 
 
 

About Neurent Medical Ltd
Neurent Medical Ltd is a privately held, venture backed, Galway (Ireland) based medical device company in the Ear, Nose and Throat market.  The company designs and develops products for treating inflammatory diseases of the nasal cavities. The initial product offering reduces the primary symptoms of rhinitis, congestion and rhinorrhoea. Neurent Medical was by established by Brian Shields and David Townley as a spin-out from the National University of Ireland, Galway. www.neurentmedical.com
 
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. For more information, please visit www.fh-partners.com

Syndesi Therapeutics announces appointment of Jean Combalbert as Chairman of the Board

Belgium – Syndesi Therapeutics SA, a newly formed biotech company developing novel treatments for cognitive impairment, today announced the appointment of Dr Jean Combalbert as Independent Director and Chairman of the Board.

Dr Combalbert is a successful entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. He was CEO of Ogeda (formerly Euroscreen) from 2006 until its sale to Astellas Pharma Inc. in May 2017. Prior to joining Ogeda, he was VP Pharmaceutical Development at Proteus SA, Nimes, France, then Chairman & CEO of Entomed SA, Strasbourg, France. Earlier in his career, Dr Combalbert held senior positions with Sanofi in France and Galderma in France and the United States. Dr Combalbert received his PharmD and a PhD from the Université de Pharmacie, Marseille, France.

“I am impressed by the unique partnership between UCB and a syndicate of leading investors both here in Belgium and internationally that has created Syndesi to progress an intriguing new therapeutic approach for the treatment of dementia and other cognitive disorders. I am excited to work with the Board and management to support the Company in its mission to demonstrate the potential of novel modulators of SV2A for the treatment of cognitive impairment,” commented Jean Combalbert.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome Jean onto Syndesi’s Board,” said Jonathan Savidge, CEO of Syndesi. “The company is very fortunate to have attached a chairman with Jean’s experience and impressive track record in the biotech sector. I look forward to working with him, the Board and my management colleagues to evolve the Company and achieve our objectives in the clinical development of our pro-cognitive SV2A modulators.” 

About Syndesi Therapeutics
Syndesi Therapeutics was established in 2017 based on an exclusive, worldwide license from UCB to develop and commercialise a series of novel, pro-cognitive small molecule SV2A modulators. Syndesi was created to further develop these novel SV2A modulators and investigate their potential to improve cognition in diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, other dementias and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. Syndesi announced a Series A financing round of €17M in February 2018, led by Novo Seeds and Fountain Healthcare with participation from Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, SRIW (Société Régionale d’Investissement de Wallonie), V-Bio Ventures and Vives Fund. Syndesi has been established at the Centre d’Entreprises et d’Innovation (CEI) in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium and is a resident company at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS (JLABS @ BE) in Beerse, Belgium. For more information please visit www.syndesitherapeutics.com

Medical Microinstruments S.p.A. Announces €20M in Series A Funding to Advance Its Robotic Platform for Microsurgery

Medical Microinstruments S.p.A. (MMI), an Italian company dedicated to improve clinical outcomes for patients undergoing microsurgery, today announces the completion of a €20M (approx. $24.5M) Series A financing to accelerate the development of MMI's groundbreaking robotic platform for microsurgery.


The investor syndicate was led by Andera Partners, formerly known as Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP), with Panakes Partners and Fountain Healthcare, returning Seed investor Sambatech, and two industry veterans Gus Castello, former Senior Vice President of Product Operations for Intuitive Surgical Inc., the world leader in robotic surgery, and John Engels, founder of AxoGen, Inc., a world leader in solutions for peripheral nerve repair in microsurgery.

Giuseppe M. Prisco, CEO of MMI, said, "We are thrilled to have an outstanding group of investors and successful medtech experts supporting the next phase of development of the company and to address together a market opportunity that exceeds $2.5 billion annually." The round aims at completing product and clinical development, obtaining the CE mark and launching in European markets.

"Surgical robotics is a major trend that has yet to penetrate a number of surgical specialties beyond laparoscopy," said Olivier Litzka, Partner, Andera Partners. "MMI is poised to provide the first robotic product for open surgery with wristed microinstruments. We are excited to collaborate with MMI as they work to build a great company in an exciting category."

While robotics has primarily penetrated laparoscopic surgery and more recently orthopedic surgery, microsurgery, used in reconstructive, lymphatic and eye surgeries among others, has remained largely unserved by robotics to date. Microsurgery has seen only incremental advances in optics and instrumentation, with surgical practice being bound to what is manually achievable when working under 5x to 40x optical scaling. MMI is pioneering a disruptive advance in this surgical space by coupling the dexterity of robotically controlled wrist articulation with 5x to 40x motion scaling to match optical magnification.

"MMI represents a great example of the best Italy has to offer, based on its excellence advanced robotics," said Alessio Beverina, Partner, Panakes Partners. "MMI's breakthrough technology will help surgeons who perform complex microsurgery with highly precise dexterity and motion, and tremor-free control."

As part of the financing, Andera Partners' Olivier Litzka, Panakes' Alessio Beverina, Fountain's Justin Lynch as well as industry experts Gus Castello, John Engels and Fabrizio Landi, former CEO and founder of Esaote S.p.A. join the board of MMI together with Carlo Alberto Marcoaldi, Giuseppe M. Prisco and Hannah Teichmann, who co-founded MMI with Massimiliano Simi.

 

About MMI's Robotic Platform for Microsurgery  

MMI has developed the first teleoperated robotic platform for suturing in open surgery with wristed microinstruments. It offers the surgeon motion scaling and tremor elimination and aims to facilitate existing procedures as well as enable new ones in the domain of microsurgery, from post-oncological and trauma reconstructions to ophthalmology, organ transplantation and pediatric surgery. MMI's Robotic Platform is an investigational device and is not yet commercially available.

About MMI

Medical Microinstruments S.p.A. (MMI), founded in 2015, is based in Calci (PI), Italy. The company's mission is to help more surgeons around the world to offer more advanced microsurgical procedures, while reducing costs for patients, hospitals and for society at large. http://www.mmimicro.com

About Andera Partners

Andera Partners is a leading investor in minority investments into privately owned companies. Previously Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, the fund management employs 56 employees and has more than €2 billion under management. Its Life Sciences team of 11 professionals brings together deep experience both in the Life Science industry and in private equity and venture capital. The team has raised more than €800 million through its BioDiscovery franchise and is currently investing out of its € 345 million BioDiscovery 5 fund. Since their inception, BioDiscovery Funds have invested in some 60 privately held companies, of which 16 have been sold and 16 listed on public financial markets, while more than 20 are active in the portfolios.

About Fountain Healthcare  

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. For more information, please visit http://www.fh-partners.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. http://www.panakes.it.

SOURCE MMI SPA

Update on Regulatory Application for ReActiv8 in Australia

Dublin, Ireland: Mainstay Medical International plc (Mainstay or the Company, Euronext Paris: MSTY.PA and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange: MSTY.IE), a medical device company focused on bringing to market ReActiv8®, an implantable restorative neurostimulation system to treat disabling Chronic Low Back Pain, today provides an update on its application for the admission of ReActiv8 to the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), which the Company filed in January 2017.

 

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has requested additional clinical data with respect to ReActiv8. To provide the most meaningful clinical data possible, we intend to rely on the clinical data being gathered as part of the ongoing ReActiv8-B clinical study. As stated previously, this clinical study is expected to be fully enrolled by the end of the second quarter of 2018, with a full data readout expected towards the end of 2018. Upon availability of the ReActiv8-B data, we plan to submit a new application to the TGA seeking admission of ReActiv8.

 

The Therapeutic Goods Administration may request additional information during the review process. Review of an application for admission of a product to the ARTG has varied historically. The TGA is required to complete assessment of applications within approximately one year.

 

About Mainstay

Mainstay is a medical device company focused on bringing to market an innovative implantable restorative neurostimulation system, ReActiv8®, for people with disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). The Company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has subsidiaries operating in Ireland, the United States, Australia and Germany, and its ordinary shares are admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (MSTY.PA) and the ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange (MSTY.IE).

About Chronic Low Back Pain

One of the recognized root causes of CLBP is impaired control by the nervous system of the muscles that dynamically stabilize the spine in the low back, and an unstable spine can lead to back pain. ReActiv8 is designed to electrically stimulate the nerves responsible for contracting these muscles and thereby help to restore muscle control and improve dynamic spine stability, allowing the body to recover from CLBP.


People with CLBP usually have a greatly reduced quality of life and score significantly higher on scales for pain, disability, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Their pain and disability can persist despite the best available medical treatments, and only a small percentage of cases result from an identified pathological condition or anatomical defect that may be correctable with spine surgery. Their ability to work or be productive is seriously affected by the condition and the resulting days lost from work, disability benefits and health resource utilization put a significant burden on individuals, families, communities, industry and governments.

Further information can be found at www.mainstaymedical.com

Velicept Therapeutics Initiates First of Two Phase 2b Dose-Ranging Studies of Solabegron in Patients with Overactive Bladder (OAB)

  • First study has begun enrolling patients to evaluate twice-daily formulation
  • Second study to begin in the second quarter to assess once-daily dosing with the novel QD formulation
  • Issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9,907,767 further expands Velicept’s patent portfolio covering Solabegron

MALVERN, Pa. - Velicept Therapeutics, a privately-held specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of best-in-class compounds for the treatment of urological and gastrointestinal disorders, announced the initiation of the first of two Phase 2b clinical studies. 

The first study (VEL2002) will evaluate two doses of solabegron dosed twice daily in patients with overactive bladder (OAB). The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the mean change in number of micturitions per day as measured by patients in an e-diary.

The Company has finalized a novel once daily formulation of solabegron which will be evaluated in a second study. The formulation was engineered to optimize efficacy in a convenient once daily dosing. This study (VEL2001) will initiate patient enrollment in the second quarter of this year.
 

Additionally the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 9,907,767, which is directed to methods related to the use of solabegron to treat overactive bladder. The patent issued with 42 claims directed to methods of treating overactive bladder, measured by an increase in voided volume, using a therapeutically effective amount of solabegron or its derivatives. This issued U.S. Patent is part of a robust intellectual property portfolio that includes numerous issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and major international markets directed to solabegron, its use for the treatment of overactive bladder, once daily formulations designed to optimize patient convenience and efficacy and methods of manufacture.
 

“We are pleased to be enrolling patients into the first of two dose ranging studies. Driving the program forward with the novel once daily formulation of solabegron as well as expanding our intellectual property estate are key steps for Velicept as we work to deliver an optimal therapy to patients suffering from OAB,” said James Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer, Velicept Therapeutics. “Many patients who suffer from overactive bladder do not achieve adequate relief on existing therapies, so we have designed our development program to maximize potential treatment options for physicians and their patients.”
 

The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled Phase 2b study will enroll 375 adult women ages 18 to 80 with signs and symptoms of overactive bladder from 90 centers across North America. Patients will receive either 125mg or 175mg of solabegron twice daily or placebo for 12 weeks.
 

About Solabegron
Solabegron is a highly potent and selective beta-3 adrenoceptor agonist being investigated for overactive bladder (OAB) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A Phase II study of solabegron in OAB, previously conducted by GlaxoSmithKline, evaluated a twice-daily dose in 258 patients with moderate to severe incontinence experiencing an average of 4.5 wet episodes per day. Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement with solabegron as compared to placebo. Furthermore, the Phase II study also indicated a safety and tolerability profile for solabegron that was similar to placebo.
 

About Velicept
Velicept Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held, clinical development company focused on advancing best-in-class compounds for the treatment of urological and gastrointestinal disorders. Its lead product, solabegron, is a highly potent and selective beta-3 adrenoceptor agonist being investigated for overactive bladder (OAB) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). For more information, visit www.velicept.com.
 

Contacts
Media:
Sam Brown, Inc.
Mike Beyer, 312-961-2502
mikebeyer@sambrown.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Syndesi Therapeutics announces appointment of experienced management team to lead development of novel pro-cognitive SV2A modulators

Belgium – [1st March 2018] – Syndesi Therapeutics today announced the appointment of an experienced management team to lead the development of its portfolio of novel modulators of the synaptic vesicle protein, SV2A, for the treatment of cognitive disorders.

Dr John Kemp joins the company as Chief Scientific Officer. John was most recently Senior Director, Neuroscience Discovery at Janssen and brings 30 years of experience in CNS drug discovery and development to Syndesi. He previously held positions as Chief R&D Officer at Evotec and head of CNS research at Roche. John commented “I am delighted to join the company which has a focus on a very promising novel mechanism for the treatment of cognitive disorders”.

Dr Charlotte Videbaek joins Syndesi as Chief Medical Officer. Charlotte is a board certified neurologist and has over 15 years pharma industry experience in CNS clinical development and project management. She has held senior development positions at Lundbeck and has prior experience from Roche and Novartis. Charlotte noted “I look forward to working with the team to move this novel mechanism into clinical development and explore the full potential benefit for patients”.

Dr Andrea Cesura joins Syndesi as Head of Preclinical Development. Andrea is a pharmacologist and neuroscientist with 30 years experience in CNS research, drug discovery and development. Andrea contributed to several NCEs which entered clinical development, including two drugs reaching Phase 2/3 in Alzheimer’s disease.

“I am delighted John, Charlotte and Andrea are joining Syndesi, as they bring a wealth of scientific expertise and drug development experience. I look forward to working with them, our stakeholders and partners to move our lead molecule, SDI-118, into clinical development and further investigate the promise of our pro-cognitive SV2A modulators” said Jonathan Savidge, CEO.

About Syndesi Therapeutics
Syndesi Therapeutics was established in 2017 based on an exclusive, worldwide license from UCB to develop and commercialise a series of novel, procognitive SV2A modulators. Syndesi will build on a rich legacy of work by UCB to further develop these novel SV2A modulators and investigate their potential to improve cognition in diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, other dementias and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. Syndesi announced a Series A financing round of €17M in February 2018, led by Novo Seeds and Fountain Healthcare with participation from JJDC, SRIW (Société Régionale d’Investissement de Wallonie), V-Bio Ventures and Vives Fund. Syndesi has been established at the Centre d’Entreprises et d’Innovation (CEI) in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium and has a presence at the JLABS incubator facilities to access expertise at the Janssen campus in Beerse, Belgium. For more information please visit www.syndesitherapeutics.com

Mainstay Medical Publishes 2017 Full Year Results

Mainstay Medical International plc (“Mainstay” or the “Company”, Euronext Paris: MSTY.PA and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange: MSTY.IE), a medical device company focused on bringing to market ReActiv8, an implantable restorative neurostimulation system to treat disabling Chronic Low Back Pain, announces today the publication of its 2017 Full Year results and Annual Report.


Business Update

  • In December 2017, we announced the positive outcome of the Interim Analysis of the ReActiv8-B Study. The Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended the continuation of the Study with a definitive size of 168 evaluable patients. The DMC also reported that they had no safety concerns in the Study.
  • The ReActiv8-B Study is expected to be fully enrolled by the end of the second quarter of 2018, with a full data readout expected towards the end of 2018. The ultimate number of patients in the Study will be higher than 168 due to the nature of the enrollment process.
  • Mainstay has continued to advance the initial commercialization of ReActiv8 in Europe. Our European commercial activities are initially focused on Germany, where we are working to drive adoption in a select number of high volume spine care centers to develop reference sites.
  • To date, 5 centers in Germany and Ireland have implanted patients with ReActiv8, and several additional sites have been trained.
  • We were recently issued a new US Patent, U.S. Patent No. 9,861,811 “Electrical Stimulator for Treatment of Back Pain and Methods of Use”, bringing the total current number of US issued patents in the Mainstay portfolio to nine.



Financial Update

  • Revenue during the year ended 31 December 2017 was $0.3 million (2016: nil).
  • Operating expenses related to on-going activities were $27.9 million during the year ended 31 December 2017 (2016: $16.8 million).
  • Cash on hand as at 31 December 2017 was $10 million (2016: $36.7 million) and operating net cash outflows for the year ended 31 December 2017 were $24.9 million (2016: $16.7 million). This operating cash outflow reflects the cost of the research and development of ReActiv8, undertaking our clinical trials, commercialization expenditure, the ongoing costs of being a public company, and running the Group.
  • The Company had $7.8 million cash on hand at 31 January 2018.

– End –

About Mainstay

Mainstay is a medical device company focused on bringing to market an innovative implantable restorative neurostimulation system, ReActiv8®, for people with disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). The Company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has subsidiaries operating in Ireland, the United States, Australia and Germany, and its ordinary shares are admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (MSTY.PA) and the ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange (MSTY.IE).

About Chronic Low Back Pain

One of the recognized root causes of CLBP is impaired control by the nervous system of the muscles that dynamically stabilize the spine in the low back, and an unstable spine can lead to back pain. ReActiv8 is designed to electrically stimulate the nerves responsible for contracting these muscles and thereby help to restore muscle control and improve dynamic spine stability, allowing the body to recover from CLBP.

People with CLBP usually have a greatly reduced quality of life and score significantly higher on scales for pain, disability, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Their pain and disability can persist despite the best available medical treatments, and only a small percentage of cases result from an identified pathological condition or anatomical defect that may be correctable with spine surgery. Their ability to work or be productive is seriously affected by the condition and the resulting days lost from work, disability benefits and health resource utilization put a significant burden on individuals, families, communities, industry and governments.

Further information can be found at www.mainstay-medical.com

Mainstay Medical Announces €30 million Financing

New Capital to Complete US Pivotal ReActiv8-B Clinical Study and Advance European Commercialization
 

Mainstay Medical International plc (Mainstay or the Company, Euronext Paris: MSTY.PA and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange: MSTY.IE), a medical device company focused on bringing to market ReActiv8®, an implantable neurostimulation system to treat disabling Chronic Low Back Pain, announces today that it has raised gross proceeds of €30.1 million through the issue of 2,151,332 new ordinary shares (New Shares) to new and existing shareholders.

The funds raised in this financing will be used to significantly advance Mainstay’s business. In particular, the net proceeds will be used:

  • to complete the U.S. Pivotal ReActiv8-B Clinical Study in support of an application for pre-market approval (PMA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • to advance the initial commercialization of ReActiv8 in Germany and additional markets
  • to invest in early commercial activities in preparation for launch in the United States
  • for general corporate purposes.

Jason Hannon, CEO of Mainstay, commented: “Our goals for the next two years are clear: complete the ReActiv8-B clinical study, file the PMA for ReActiv8 with the FDA, and build our commercial presence in 2018 for more meaningful commercial expansion starting in 2019.  A key focus in 2018 will be building market awareness in Germany and developing reference sites who care for chronic back pain patients and believe in ReActiv8. Over the next year we are targeting to have 10 or more physician partners who have performed multiple implants, with whom we will work to expand market awareness and adoption, refine patient selection strategies and follow ongoing patient progress. This financing provides the capital to drive forward on all these goals.”

 

Business Update

  • In December 2017, we announced the positive outcome of the Interim Analysis of the ReActiv8-B Study. The Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended the continuation of the
  • Study with a definitive size of 168 evaluable patients. The DMC also reported that they had no safety concerns in the Study.
  • The ReActiv8-B Study is expected to be fully enrolled by the end of the second quarter of 2018, with a full data readout expected towards the end of 2018. The ultimate number of patients in the Study will be higher than 168 due to the nature of the enrollment process.
  • Mainstay has continued to advance the initial commercialization of ReActiv8 in Europe. Our European commercial activities are initially focused on Germany, where we are working to drive adoption in a select number of high volume spine care centers to develop reference sites.
  • To date, 5 centers in Germany and Ireland have implanted patients with ReActiv8, and several additional sites have been trained.
  • We were recently issued a new US Patent, U.S. Patent No. 9,861,811 “Electrical Stimulator for Treatment of Back Pain and Methods of Use”, bringing the total current number of US issued patents in the Mainstay portfolio to nine.

 

Investors in the Financing

The investors in this pivotal financing are primarily institutions in Europe and North America, at a price of €14 per New Share. The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund) (ISIF) is participating in the financing, subscribing for 714,285 New Shares, representing approximately 33.2% of the total number of New Shares, for an amount of approximately €10 million. ISIF is an Irish sovereign development fund with a statutory mandate to invest on a commercial basis in a manner designed to support economic activity and employment in Ireland. ISIF played a key role in this transaction.

Mainstay is implementing plans to bring additional elements of its operations to Ireland following the ISIF investment. Mainstay will build on its Irish footprint and benefit from the strong local talent base. These elements of operational infrastructure will take shape as the Company’s business scales commercially. These investments will, the Directors believe, support the Company’s growth over time and allow it to reach more customers, while simultaneously adding investment and job creation to the Irish market.

 

Specific information regarding the Financing

The New Shares will be issued immediately following the publication of this announcement. In addition to ISIF, the Company’s existing long-term investors, Sofinnova Partners, Fountain Healthcare Partners and KCK Limited and several individual investors, are also participating in the financing.

The New Shares, when issued, will represent an increase of approximately 32.5% from the Company's existing issued ordinary share capital. Following issuance of the New Shares, the Company’s issued share capital will consist of 8,770,229 Ordinary Shares of €0.001 each (which carry voting rights) and 40,000 deferred shares with a nominal value of €1.00 each (which do not carry voting rights). Therefore, the figure that should be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their holdings of voting rights, or a change to their holdings of voting rights, over the Ordinary Shares of the Company under the Transparency (Directive 2004/109/EC) Regulations 2007 of Ireland, as amended and the Transparency Rules of the Central Bank of Ireland is 8,770,229.

The New Shares, when issued, will be fully paid and rank pari passu in all respects with the existing issued Ordinary Shares, except that the New Shares will not be admitted to trading on Euronext Paris or the Enterprise Securities Market (ESM) of the Irish Stock Exchange plc (Admission) until the Company has published a prospectus that is required to effect the admission to trading of the New Shares on Euronext Paris in accordance with Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended). The Company expects to publish that prospectus (which requires approval by the Central Bank of Ireland and which will be passported into France), and that Admission will occur, by 15 May 2018. Under the terms of the subscription agreements for the New Shares, the Company has agreed that if Admission does not occur by 120 days after the issuance of the New Shares, then for all or part of one or more of the consecutive 30 day periods following that date (a Relevant Period) during which Admission does not occur the Company shall separately pay to each investor, as liquidated damages, a cash payment of 0.5% of the total subscription price paid by the relevant investor for each Relevant Period (or partial Relevant Period) during which Admission has still not occurred; provided, however that in no event shall the Company be required to pay to any investor an aggregate amount that exceeds 5% of the total subscription price paid by that investor. Any such payment(s) shall be made within five Business Days of the end of each such Relevant Period.

Sofinnova Partners, KCK Limited and Fountain Healthcare Partners (who are considered substantial shareholders under the Enterprise Securities Market Rules for Companies (ESM Rules)) will subscribe for 250,000, 428,572 and 138,280 New Shares respectively. Their participation in the financing will constitute related party transactions under Rule 13 of the ESM Rules. The Directors, with the exception of Antoine Papiernik (with respect to Sofinnova Partners), Nael Karim Kassar and Greg Garfield (with respect to KCK Limited) and Manus Rogan (with respect to Fountain Healthcare Partners), consider, having consulted with J&E Davy, the Company’s ESM Adviser, that the terms of the participation of Sofinnova Partners, KCK Limited and Fountain Healthcare Partners in the financing are fair and reasonable insofar as Mainstay shareholders are concerned.

Jason Hannon, who is a Director, will also participate in the financing, subscribing for 30,000 New Shares, so that following completion of the financing, he will hold 30,000 Ordinary Shares, representing 0.3% of the enlarged issued ordinary share capital of the Company.

David Brabazon, who is also a Director, will also participate in the financing, subscribing for 30,000 New Shares, so that following completion of the financing, he will hold 57,828 Ordinary Shares, representing 0.7% of the enlarged issued ordinary share capital of the Company.

Greg Garfield, who is also a Director, will also participate in the financing, subscribing for 2,912 New Shares, so that following completion of the financing, he will hold 2,912 Ordinary Shares, representing 0.03% of the enlarged issued ordinary share capital of the Company.

Kempen (Amsterdam) acted as financial adviser and coordinating placement agent, J&E Davy (Dublin) acted as financial adviser and ESM Adviser, Merrion Capital (Dublin) acted as financial adviser and placement agent and LifeSci Capital acted as financial adviser and placement agent.

This Announcement contains inside information for the purposes of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR). Market soundings, as defined in MAR, were taken in respect of the Financing, with the result that certain persons became aware of inside information, as permitted by MAR. That inside information is set out in this Announcement. Therefore, those persons that received inside information in a market sounding are no longer in possession of inside information relating to the Company and its securities.

The person responsible for arranging release of this Announcement on behalf of Mainstay is Tom Maher.

 

About Mainstay

Mainstay is a medical device company focused on bringing to market an innovative implantable neurostimulation system, ReActiv8®, for people with disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). The Company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has subsidiaries operating in Ireland, the United States, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, and is listed on regulated market of the Euronext Paris (MSTY.PA) and the ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange (MSTY.IE).

 

About Chronic Low Back Pain

One of the recognized root causes of CLBP is impaired control by the nervous system of the muscles that dynamically stabilize the spine in the low back, and an unstable spine can lead to back pain. ReActiv8 is designed to electrically stimulate the nerves responsible for contracting these muscles and thereby help to restore muscle control and improve dynamic spine stability, allowing the body to recover from CLBP.

People with CLBP usually have a greatly reduced quality of life and score significantly higher on scales for pain, disability, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Their pain and disability can persist despite the best available medical treatments, and only a small percentage of cases result from an identified pathological condition or anatomical defect that may be correctable with spine surgery. Their ability to work or be productive is seriously affected by the condition and the resulting days lost from work, disability benefits and health resource utilization put a significant burden on individuals, families, communities, industry and governments.

Further information can be found at www.mainstay-medical.com

CAUTION – in the United States, ReActiv8 is limited by federal law to investigational use only.

PR and IR Enquiries:

Consilium Strategic Communications (international strategic communications - business and trade media)
Chris Gardner, Jessica Hodgson, Nicholas Brown
Tel: +44 203 709 5700 / +44 7921 697 654
Email: mainstaymedical@consilium-comms.com

FTI Consulting (for Ireland):
Jonathan Neilan Tel: +353 1 765 0886
Email: jonathan.neilan@fticonsulting.com
 

NewCap (for France)
Julie Coulot
Tel: +33 1 44 71 20 40
Email: jcoulot@newcap.fr
 

Investor Relations:
LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Brian Ritchie
Tel: + 1 (212) 915-2578
Email: britchie@lifesciadvisors.com

ESM Advisers:
Davy
Fergal Meegan or Barry Murphy
Tel: +353 1 679 6363
Email: fergal.meegan@davy.ie or barry.murphy2@davy.ie

 

 

 

 

 

Chrono Therapeutics Announces Appointment of David Happel as Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Alan Levy, Ph.D., to Retire as CEO

Chrono Therapeutics, a pioneer in digital drug therapy, today announced that Alan Levy Ph.D., chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors is retiring. David A. Happel has been appointed as the new chief executive officer, and current board member James Young, Ph.D., will assume the role of chairman of the board.  Dr. Levy will continue to serve as a member of the board.

"I'm very pleased with the progress we have made over the last four years, including the excellent clinical results in our smoking cessation application as well as the progress we have made on our Parkinson's disease and opioid-tapering programs that target important unmet clinical needs," said Dr. Levy.  "With David's background and experience in both the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, and his focus on commercialization, he is the ideal person to take the company through its next chapter."

"It is an honor to succeed Alan, and I am very excited to build on the foundation that has been created at Chrono Therapeutics as the company continues to advance its proprietary SmartDermal therapeutics and technology platform into the later stages of clinical development and commercialization," said Mr. Happel.

Mr. Happel joins Chrono Therapeutics from Horizon Pharma, PLC where he was executive vice president of commercial development and strategy. During his tenure at Horizon, Mr. Happel was responsible for the commercialization of Horizon's five marketed orphan disease products and the development of Horizon's rare disease pipeline portfolio. Prior to Horizon Pharma, he was the chief commercial officer of Raptor Pharmaceuticals where he had worldwide responsibility for the commercialization of Raptor's two marketed orphan disease products and the development of Raptor's pipeline portfolio. Previously, Mr. Happel held senior management positions at Allergen Research Corporation, Dynavax Technologies, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Chiron Corporation and Intermune. Mr. Happel received his B.A. in chemistry from Indiana University and his M.B.A in marketing from Indiana State University.

"On behalf of the entire board, we thank Alan for his endless dedication and commitment to the company over the last four years. Under his leadership Chrono Therapeutics has built a rich pipeline of product candidates to address unmet needs in addictions and central nervous systems disorders with a vision to improve patient outcomes and lives," said James Young, chairman of Chrono's board of directors.

About Chrono Therapeutics

Chrono Therapeutics is dedicated to improving the lives of patients living with addictions and other neurological conditions by combining smart drug delivery, personalized behavioral support, data analytics, and improved compliance into one integrated product. Chrono Therapeutics' transdermal drug delivery platform is smarter: providing just the right amount of medication timed to when patients' symptoms are at their strongest and medication is most needed. With our technology, drug delivery is personalized and has the potential to be significantly more efficacious.

For more information, visit: www.chronothera.com.

UCB and investor syndicate led by Novo Seeds launch Syndesi Therapeutics to develop novel therapeutics for cognitive disorders

  • Syndesi Therapeutics to leverage UCB’s expertise in neurology drug discovery to develop potential therapeutics in cognitive disorders with a first-in-class mechanism 
  • Series A financing of €17 M from a syndicate of Belgian and international investors

The creation of Syndesi Therapeutics (‘Syndesi’) was announced today as the result of a partnership between UCB and a syndicate of Belgian and international investors. The investor syndicate is led by Novo Seeds and Fountain Healthcare together with Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), V-BIO Ventures, the Walloon Investment Fund (SRIW) and VIVES Louvain Technology Fund. Syndesi Therapeutics has exclusively licensed a first-in-class small molecule program from UCB and the series A investment totalling €17M will fund the clinical development of the lead compound up to early proof-of-concept in humans. 
 
Syndesi Therapeutics is based in Belgium and will leverage UCB’s neurology expertise in modulating the synaptic vesicle protein SV2A. UCB’s Neuroscience researchers in Belgium have designed a unique class of novel SV2A modulators. Unlike levetiracetam and other types of SV2A modulators   discovered and developed by UCB for epilepsy, the novel compounds are devoid of anti-epileptic properties but have demonstrated robust pro-cognitive properties in preclinical models. Cognitive impairment currently being outside UCB’s strategic scope, the decision was made to have the program further developed externally to leverage its full potential. The discovery of these novel pro-cognitive SV2A modulators at UCB has benefitted from prior support of the Walloon Region, and Syndesi will use the Series A investment to build upon that work and move the lead molecule into clinical development.
 
“UCB is the world leader in SV2A research, having discovered and developed two major anti-epileptic drugs treating patients around the world. We are excited to see Syndesi develop our novel pro-cognitive SV2A modulators to create value for patients with cognitive impairment,” said Dhavalkumar Patel, UCB’s Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President. “The Belgian life science ecosystem is particularly vibrant and we realised that it was the right environment to promote this research as part of our biotech model approach.”
 
Jonathan Savidge, PhD CEO of Syndesi noted “Development of these small molecules that modulate the SV2A target in a distinct manner represents an intriguing new approach for the treatment of cognitive deficits since they specifically target synaptic dysfunction, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease and other indications characterized by cognitive impairment. Syndesi benefits both from UCB’s research expertise and from an impressive syndicate of experienced investors and their respective networks.”
 
“Cognitive impairment remains an area of significant unmet need for patients not only with Alzheimer’s Disease but also more broadly across a range of neurological disorders, and we are excited about the potential promise of this novel therapeutic approach,” says Morten Graugaard Døssing, Principal at Novo Seeds. “I am thrilled to be working with the company which is supported by scientists at UCB and able to leverage Janssen neuroscience expertise via a presence at the JLINX incubator, all in an effort to develop products that could one day make a meaningful difference for patients suffering from cognitive impairment.”
 
About Syndesi Therapeutics
Syndesi Therapeutics (www.syndesitherapeutics.com) has been established at the Centre d’Entreprises et d’Innovation (CEI) in Louvain-la-Neuve and will have a presence at the JLINX incubator facilities to access expertise at the Janssen campus in Beerse, Belgium. Syndesi has an exclusive, worldwide license from UCB to develop and commercialise a series of novel, pro-cognitive SV2A modulators. Syndesi will build on a rich legacy of work by UCB to further develop these novel SV2A modulators to investigate their potential to improve cognition in diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, other dementias and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. 
 
About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases in immunology and neurology. With more than 7500 people in approximately 40 countries, the company generated revenue of €4.2 billion in 2016. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCB_news
 
About Novo Holdings and Novo Seeds
Novo Seeds is the early-stage investment arm of Novo Holdings (www.novoholdings.dk). Novo Holdings is a private limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The company is the holding company in the Novo Group, comprising Novo Nordisk A/S, Novozymes A/S and NNIT A/S, and is responsible for managing the Foundation’s assets. In addition to being the major shareholder in the Novo Group companies, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies, takes significant ownership positions in well-established companies within the life sciences and manages a broad portfolio of financial assets. 
 
About Fountain Healthcare Partners
Fountain Healthcare Partners (www.fh-partners.com) 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. 
 
About Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC)
Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC Inc. (JJDC) is the strategic venture capital arm of Johnson & Johnson and a long-term investment partner to global healthcare entrepreneurs. Founded in 1973, JJDC continues a legacy of customizing deals for data-driven companies across the continuum of healthcare, with the goal of turning great ideas into transformative new pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer healthcare products. www.jjdc.com
 
About V-Bio Ventures
V-Bio Ventures (www.v-bio.ventures) is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life science companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors. 
 
About SRIW SA
SRIW Société Régionale d'Investissement de Wallonie (www.sriw.be) provides equity and/or debt to companies that generate added value and employment in Wallonia.  SRIW facilitates the region's economic development, contributing effectively to the modernisation, growth and restructuring of the businesses that make up the Walloon industrial network. In the life science sector, SRIW is investor in more than 30 companies such as I.B.A., Celyad, or Ogeda of which it recently exited. Its current portfolio fair value is above 150 million €.
 
About VIVES-Louvain Technology Fund
The VIVES Louvain Technology Fund (www.vivesfund.com) is a multi-sector technology fund which invests in the spin-offs of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) and start-ups in Belgium and neighboring countries. VIVES II is funded by a dozen leading Belgian and European investors such as the EUROPEAN INVESTMENT FUND (EIF), SFPI-FPIM, BNP PARIBAS FORTIS PRIVATE EQUITY BELGIUM, BPI FRANCE (France), ING BELGIUM, SOFINA, AXA BELGIUM, BELFIUS, IRD (France), NIVELINVEST, REGION BRUXELLES CAPITAL and by SOPARTEC. The objective of the fund is to invest in the development of start-ups, from validation of the technology to commercial maturity. The funds (VIVES I - €15 million and VIVES II - €43 million) are managed by SOPARTEC, UCL’s technology transfer company, member of the Louvain Technology Transfer Office.
 
For further information, UCB: 
 
Corporate Communications
France Nivelle  
Global Communications, UCB
T +32.2.559.9178 france.nivelle@ucb.com
 
Laurent Schots
Media Relations, UCB  
T+32.2.559.92.64  Laurent.schots@ucb.com
 
Investor Relations
Antje Witte          
Investor Relations, UCB
T +32.2.559.94.14 antje.witte@ucb.com
 
Isabelle Ghellynck,
 Investor Relations, UCB
T+32.2.559.9588, isabelle.ghellynck@ucb.com 

Neuromod announces the appointment of Dr. Hubert Lim, as Chief Scientific Officer

Dublin, Ireland | Neuromod Devices Limited ("Neuromod"), an Irish medical technology company specialising in non-invasive neuromodulation technologies, announces the appointment of Dr. Hubert Lim, a world-renowned scientist and thought leader in auditory neuroscience, neuroplasticity and neuromostimulation, as Chief Scientific Officer.

Dr. Lim is a widely-published leader in the neural engineering field, and has been at the forefront of the development and translation of brain-machine interfaces from scientific concept into clinical application. His work has a strong focus on the improvement of invasive and non-invasive neurostimulation approaches for treating unmet medical needs in hearing and other therapeutic areas. Dr. Lim is Associate Professor and Institute for Translational Neuroscience Scholar at the University of Minnesota, United States and will continue to oversee a number of activities at his SONIC (Sensory Optimization and Neural Implant Coding) Lab from his new base in Ireland.

TENT-A Tinnitus Trial 
Dr. Lim's expertise complements Neuromod's focus on developing and advancing non-invasive bimodal neuromodulation for tinnitus. Initially Dr. Lim will focus on concluding Neuromod's TENT-A tinnitus trial, currently taking place in Ireland and Germany. When complete, the TENT-A trial will have enrolled more than 500 patients. It is one of the largest randomised double-blind clinical trials conducted to date in tinnitus. Dr. Lim will apply his deep insight into the evolving neuroscience of tinnitus to completing the trial and in communicating the results to the global scientific and clinical communities. Over time, Dr. Lim will play a key role as the company advances towards international markets, including regulatory applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If you are interested in learning more about the trial, please visit www.tinnitustrials.ie

Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Ross O'Neill, CEO of Neuromod said: "Dr. Lim will continue to expand the therapeutic applications of Neuromod's non-invasive neuromodulation platform to additional indications to meet the unmet needs of many patients. In addition, his strong ties to the global neuroscience and neuromodulation communities will be important to ensure that Neuromod's clinical and scientific approach continues to robustly and conclusively build the evidence base to support widespread acceptance. We are excited that someone of Dr. Lim's scientific integrity and global scientific connections has agreed to join Neuromod. We welcome Dr. Lim and his family as he settles in Ireland to take up this role."

Dr. Lim commented: "I am excited to join the Neuromod team in Ireland, where I see a vibrant environment for innovation, medical technology and business. Neuromod's rigorous and transparent approach towards developing and evaluating their non-invasive neuromodulation device in large systematic clinical trials in tinnitus has impressed me. Moreover, the company's inclusive approach listening to experts including their highly respected scientific advisory board of Professors Berthold Langguth, Deborah Hall and Sven Vanneste, to find better treatments for patients with chronic conditions is consistent with the scientific spirit for advancing knowledge and developing evidence-based treatments that I admire."

Dr. Hubert H. Lim Biography
Dr. Lim completed a B.S.E. in Bioengineering at UC-San Diego, followed by a dual Masters in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. In collaboration with Cochlear Limited, Dr. Lim completed postdoctoral research with Dr. Thomas Lenarz at the Hannover Medical School in Germany, overseeing a clinical trial for a new deep brain stimulation implant to restore hearing.

Dr. Lim is an investigator on a number of ground breaking clinical trials including evaluating a new deep brain stimulation array for hearing restoration and tinnitus treatment (funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health involving University of Minnesota in the United States, Hannover Medical School in Germany, and Cochlear Limited), an electrical ear and sound stimulation approach for tinnitus treatment (funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health REACH Program), and non-invasive ultrasound neuromodulation of the spleen and vagus/splenic nerve pathways to elicit anti-inflammatory control in rheumatoid arthritis patients (funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense and based on animal research performed with Medtronic).

Dr. Lim is a recipient of the prestigious Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award from the Society for Neuroscience, serves as a grant reviewer for the U.S. National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, is a member of the Program Committee for the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, has been a co-organizer of the annual Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium since 2013, and is co-organizing the upcoming international meeting, Neural Interfaces Conference 2018.

About Neuromod Devices Limited
Neuromod, headquartered in the Digital Hub, Dublin, Ireland, is an emerging medical technology company specialising in the design and development of neuromodulation technologies to address the clinical needs of underserved patient populations who live with chronic and debilitating conditions. The company was founded in 2010, by Dr. Ross O'Neill, as a spin-out from Maynooth University. The lead application of Neuromod's technology is in the field of tinnitus, where Neuromod is conducting extensive clinical trials to confirm the efficacy of its non-invasive neuromodulation platform in this common disorder for which no standard of care has yet been established. Tinnitus affects between 10 and 15% of the global population, and the lives of at least 1 in every 100 people worldwide are severely compromised because of the illusory sound that is often described as a ringing or buzzing in the ears.

www.neuromoddevices.com

Contact 

FTI Consulting | Media Relations
Melanie Farrell, FTI Consulting
neuromod@fticonsulting.com

Inflazome Appoints Renowned Harvard Cardiologist to its Scientific Advisory Board

Prof. Paul Ridker joins Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board


Dublin (IE), Cambridge (UK) | Inflazome Ltd, a biotech company developing small molecule drugs that stop harmful inflammation, today announces the appointment of Prof. Paul Ridker to Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board. Prof. Ridker is a leading scientific expert in cardiovascular disease and is renowned for his work on inflammation and its role in heart disease. Medical researcher and the Eugene Braunwald Professor of Medicine at Harvard University, Prof. Ridker also directs the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Matt Cooper, Co-founder and CEO of Inflazome Ltd, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Prof. Paul Ridker to Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board. Prof. Ridker is a world-renowned cardiologist who has clinically validated the link between inflammation and heart disease. His work has been instrumental in understanding biological mechanisms of heart disease and developing therapeutic approaches to treat the disease. At Inflazome, we are dedicated to improving lives by delivering new medicines that stop inflammation. Prof. Ridker’s scientific and medical expertise will be invaluable to the development and progress of science as we expand our pipeline of novel inflammasome inhibitors into the cardiovascular disease space. Following the recent appointments of Prof. Frances Balkwill and Dr. David Morris, Prof. Ridker’s appointment complements and augments the strength of our Scientific Advisory Board, whose contributions will help us achieve our mission; to improve lives by delivering new medicines that stop harmful inflammation.”

Paul M. Ridker, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, commented: “I am pleased to be joining Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board. I believe the NLRP3 inflammasome plays a critical role in driving inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease and that orally bioavailable inhibitors may have the potential to make a significant impact on heart disease patients.  I look forward to contributing my knowledge and expertise to help achieve this goal.”

 

About Prof. Paul Ridker

Prof. Paul M. Ridker MD, MPH, FACC is a Eugene Braunwald Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and serves as a Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Prof. Ridker specialised in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease including the role of inflammation in the disease process and the role of CRP.

Prof. Ridker’s particular areas of interest involve molecular and genetic determinants of hemostasis, thrombosis, and inflammation with a focus on "predictive medicine", early disease diagnosis, and the underlying causes and prevention of acute coronary syndromes. His research efforts are primarily supported by RO1 research grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and through philanthropic research grants from the Leducq Foundation and the Donald W Reynolds Foundation.

Prof. Ridker has been the recipient of a Clinician Scientist Award (1992-1997), an Established Investigator Award (1997-2002), and a Distinguished Scientist Award (2013) from the American Heart Association. His pioneering work on inflammation, CRP, and atherothrombosis, was also recognized by Time Magazine who named him among America's Ten Best Researchers in Science and Medicine in 2001 and as one of the "Time 100" in 2004.

In addition to his work in cardiovascular epidemiology, Prof. Ridker has been the Principal Investigator or Study Chairman of several multinational clinical trials including PREVENT, PRINCE, Val-MARC, LANCET, JUPITER, SPIRE-1, SPIRE-2, as well as the Canakinumab Anti-Inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study (CANTOS) and the NHLBI-funded Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial (CIRT), both designed to directly test the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis. Prof. Ridker is also Trial Chairman of PROMINENT, an ongoing study of triglyceride reduction among patients with diabetes.

Prof. Ridker is the author of over 800 original articles and 5 textbooks related to cardiovascular medicine. A frequent invited lecturer at national and international conferences, he is also a member of multiple editorial boards and co-inventor on patents filed by the Brigham and Women's Hospital that relate to the use of inflammatory biomarkers in cardiovascular disease.

 

Members of Inflazome’s Board of Directors include:

•                Dr. Manus Rogan, Chair, Managing Partner, Fountain Healthcare Partners

•                Dr. Matt Cooper, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer

•                Florent Gros, Managing Director, Novartis Venture Fund

•                Prof. Luke O’Neill, Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer

•                Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel, Independent Director

 

Members of the Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board include:

•                Prof. Luke O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin

•                Prof. Frances Balkwill, Queen Mary University of London

•                Dr. Douglas Golenbock, University of Massachusetts Medical School

•                Dr. Veit Hornung, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

•                David Morris, MD, Novartis Venture Fund

•                Prof. Mihai G. Netea, Nijmegen University

•                Paul M. Ridker, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

 

About Inflazome

Utilising the scientific expertise of our founders and advisors, Inflazome is leading the way in developing orally available drugs to address clinical unmet needs in inflammatory diseases by targeting the inflammasome, which is now thought to drive many chronic inflammatory conditions.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Inflazome was founded by leading academics Prof. Matt Cooper, The University of Queensland (Australia) and Prof. Luke O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), following a highly productive joint collaboration. inflazome.com

Founding investors are Fountain Healthcare Partners (Dublin, Ireland) and Novartis Venture Fund (Basel, Switzerland).

 

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. fh-partners.com 

 

About The Novartis Venture Fund

The Novartis Venture Fund (NVF) manages over $700 million in committed capital. NVF invests in companies that have the potential to change a core therapeutic field or explore new business areas that will be critical to patient care. NVF’s primary interest is in the development of novel therapeutics and platforms as well as medical devices, diagnostics, and delivery systems. The Funds invest for financial objectives at all stages, but prefers to invest in the early-stages of company development. With investment professionals located in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, MA the team has extensive experience in pharmaceutical R&D and venture capital. nvfund.com

 

Contacts:

Inflazome

Dr. Jeremy Skillington | VP Business Development | j.skillington@inflazome.com | +353 1 679 8591
Ruth Neale | Communications and Outreach |r.neale@inflazome.com  | +44 1223 751549

Mainstay Medical Announces Positive Outcome of Interim Analysis

Jason Hannon, CEO, to host business update call

 

Mainstay Medical International plc (“ Mainstay” or the “ Company” , Euronext Paris: MSTY.PA and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange: MSTY.IE)(Bourse: MSTY), a medical device company focused on bringing to market ReActiv8 ® , an implantable restorative neurostimulation system to treat disabling Chronic Low Back Pain, announces a positive outcome of the Interim Analysis in its U.S. Pivotal ReActiv8-B Study (the “Study”), comprising a definitive size and an estimated completion date.

Key updates relative to the Study (and its design) are as follows:

  • The Study utilizes an adaptive trial design, inclusive of an Interim Analysis, to determine the definitive size of the Study of up to 232 patients in the pivotal cohort. With this adaptive design, Mainstay commenced the Study with a sample size of 128 patients pending the Interim Analysis;
  • The independent Data Monitoring Committee (“ DMC ”) has completed the Interim Analysis, which is based on data from the first 58 patients in the pivotal cohort to complete the primary endpoint. The DMC has recommended continuation of the Study with a definitive size of 168 evaluable patients. The ultimate number of patients in the Study will be slightly higher than 168 due to the nature of the enrollment process;
  • The DMC also reported that they have observed no safety concerns in the Study; and
  • The Study is expected to be fully enrolled by the end of the second quarter of 2018, and the Company expects to announce full data readout towards the end of 2018.
  • 133 patients have been implanted in the pivotal cohort in the Study to date and clinical study sites have continued to implant patients pending the outcome of the Interim Analysis.

The Study is intended to gather data in support of an application for pre-market approval (PMA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a key step towards commercialization of ReActiv8 in the U.S..

Richard Rauck MD, President and Founder, Carolinas Pain Institute, Medical Director for The Center for Clinical Research, Pain Fellowship Director at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Chairman of the DMC said: “The outcome of the Interim Analysis has validated the adaptive Study design agreed with the FDA, which provided for a sample size of up to 232 patients in the pivotal cohort. By following this course, we have been able to determine an appropriate sample size for the Study. We also reviewed the safety data and I am pleased to report there are no safety concerns in the Study thus far.”

Jason Hannon, CEO, said: “We are pleased to now have a definitive enrollment goal for the Study, which compares favorably in total size to other neuromodulation studies. We will now push forward to the data collection point in a highly efficient manner, and I am confident we will complete the Study in the coming months and announce the full data readout towards the end of 2018.”

Chris Gilligan MD, Chief, Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School, and Principal Investigator for the ReActiv8-B Study said: “The treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain is a significant challenge around the world with many patients experiencing disabling effects for large portions of their lives. These patients can be left with few treatment options. I’m proud to be part of a clinical study that is analyzing whether we can use ReActiv8 to help patients truly restore their muscle function and thereby reduce the effects of chronic pain, rather than rely on short term analgesics such as opioids. I look forward to the compilation of the data.”

 

Investor Conference Call and Business Update

Jason Hannon will host an investor conference call to discuss this positive news and will also provide a broader business update at 16:00 GMT (11:00 EST) on 11 December 2017 in English.

Dial-ins for the call are outlined below:

Europe: +44 203 139 4830
Ireland: +353 1 696 8154
USA: +1 718 873 9077

Participant PIN: 65178331#

In addition to the update on the Interim Analysis, the business update will include the following developments:

  • The Company continues to advance the initial commercialization of ReActiv8 in Europe. Our European commercial activities are initially focused on Germany, where we are working to drive adoption in a select number of high volume spine care centers to develop reference sites. Four centers in Germany and Ireland have implanted patients with ReActiv8 to date, and several additional sites have been trained. We have begun recruiting an experienced sales team of direct Mainstay employees. The team currently consists of eight people, located in key regions in Germany and one person in Ireland.
  • Mainstay is planning to add to its investment in commercial infrastructure to expand commercialization in Europe and in preparation for commercialization in other markets including Australia and the U.S. We will be building a market development team of clinical experts to drive market penetration, identify the right physician partners, help educate the market about Reactiv8, and support implants.
  • We will also increase our investment in the training of physicians; the education of referring physicians regarding the potential of ReActiv8; and in the collection and dissemination of clinical data regarding the expanding use of ReActiv8.
  • Cash on hand at 30 November 2017 was $12.7 million. The Company on an ongoing basis explores potential financing opportunities to fund the business.

This announcement contains inside information within the meaning of the EU Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014

 

About Mainstay

Mainstay is a medical device company focused on bringing to market an innovative implantable restorative neurostimulation system, ReActiv8 ® , for people with disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). The Company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has subsidiaries operating in Ireland, the United States, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, and its ordinary shares are admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (MSTY.PA) and the ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange (MSTY.IE).

 

About the ReActiv8-B Study

The ReActiv8-B Study is an international, multi-center, prospective randomized sham controlled blinded trial with one-way crossover conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE). In summary, this means that eligible subjects will have baseline data collected and then following verification that the enrollment criteria are met, ReActiv8 will be implanted. At the 14-day post implant follow up visit, half the patients will be randomized to receive appropriately programmed stimulation (the treatment arm), and half will be randomized to receive sham stimulation/minimal stimulation (the control arm) .The ReActiv8-B Study is designed to generate data to form part of the Pre-Market Approval Application (PMAA) of ReActiv8 to the FDA.

 

About Chronic Low Back Pain

One of the recognized root causes of CLBP is impaired control by the nervous system of the muscles that dynamically stabilize the spine in the low back, and an unstable spine can lead to back pain. ReActiv8 is designed to electrically stimulate the nerves responsible for contracting these muscles and thereby help to restore muscle control and improve dynamic spine stability, allowing the body to recover from CLBP.

People with CLBP usually have a greatly reduced quality of life and score significantly higher on scales for pain, disability, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Their pain and disability can persist despite the best available medical treatments, and only a small percentage of cases result from an identified pathological condition or anatomical defect that may be correctable with spine surgery. Their ability to work or be productive is seriously affected by the condition and the resulting days lost from work, disability benefits and health resource utilization put a significant burden on individuals, families, communities, industry and governments.

Further information can be found at www.mainstay-medical.com

 

 

Inflazome Appoints Renowned Scientific, Industry & Clinical Experts

-   Prof. Frances Balkwill, OBE FMedSci, and Dr. David Morris join Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board
 
-  Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of UCB, appointed to Inflazome’s Board of Directors


 
Dublin (IE), Cambridge (UK):  Inflazome Ltd, the biotech company developing small molecule drugs that stop harmful inflammation, today announces the appointment of three leading scientific, industry & clinical experts to its Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Directors.
 
Prof. Frances Balkwill, OBE, FMedSci, a scientific expert in cancer biology joins Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board from Queen Mary University of London, where she leads the Centre for Cancer and Inflammation. With a clinical, scientific background and extensive operational experience, Dr. David Morris also joins the Scientific Advisory Board from Novartis Venture Fund. Furthermore, Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of global biopharma company UCB, based in Brussels, Belgium, has been appointed to Inflazome’s Board of Directors as an Independent Director, following a distinguished career in Novartis.
 
Dr. Matt Cooper, Co-founder and CEO of Inflazome Ltd, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome these renowned and accomplished experts to Inflazome. Prof. Balkwill’s knowledge of translating cancer biology and its links to inflammation will progress the development of anti-inflammatory drugs in the field of oncology. Dr. Morris’s and Dr. Patel’s experience and guidance will be instrumental as we transition Inflazome’s research programmes into clinical development and expand our pipeline of novel inflammasome inhibitors. These appointments significantly augment Inflazome’s senior advisory team and their contributions will help us towards achieving our mission; improving lives by delivering new medicines that stop harmful inflammation.”
 
Prof. Frances Balkwill, OBE FMedSci, commented: “I’m excited to join Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board and contribute to their outstanding scientific underpinnings. Understanding the role inflammasomes play in driving tumour progression could deliver innovative cancer therapies from Inflazome’s portfolio of potent and selective NLRP3 inhibitors.”
 
Dr. David Morris, Novartis Venture Fund, commented: “Inflazome is attacking harmful inflammation which causes many of our most challenging medical conditions today. I‘m pleased to join the Scientific Advisory Board to help steer the company forward to develop potential new and necessary treatments for patients.”
 
Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, UCB, commented: “I’m excited to join Inflazome’s Board of Directors to help guide Inflazome’s pipeline of drugs that target aberrant, innate immune system activation. The company has an advanced portfolio of potent drug leads and drug candidates, led by an accomplished management team with a wide range of expertise and capabilities.”
 
About Prof. Frances Balkwill
Prof. Frances Balkwill OBE FMedSci is Professor of Cancer Biology at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London where she leads the Centre for Cancer and Inflammation. She studies the links between cancer and inflammation, with a special interest in translating knowledge of cancer biology into new biological treatments for cancer, the role that inflammatory cytokines play in cancer promotion and novel ways of modelling the human tumour microenvironment. Prof. Balkwill runs a research centre of approximately 30 scientists, postgraduate students and clinicians. She is an author on 250+ scientific papers and reviews and has written and edited a number of academic books on her subject. In 2006, she was made a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and has served on its Council.
 
About Dr. David Morris
Dr. Morris joined Novartis in Basel in 2009 and has held multiple positions within the organization including the Development Franchise head for Respiratory and Primary Care. His team were responsible for the clinical development, regulatory approvals and lifecycle management of multiple Novartis medications including new treatments for serious respiratory diseases (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary hypertension) and diabetes. He also held overall responsibility for global clinical operations, quantitative sciences, digital innovation, development informatics, and global clinical research capabilities development for Novartis Global Drug Development. In September 2016, he transitioned to the Novartis Venture Fund to leverage his basic and clinical scientific background and operational experience to better speed the discovery and development of new medicines by working closely with external entrepreneurs and venture backed start-ups.
 
About Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel
Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel joins Inflazome as an Independent Director on the Board of Directors. Dr Patel brings extensive experience in drug discovery in industry. During a 10 year career in Novartis, he led Research in Europe and the Autoimmunity, Transplantation and Inflammation Disease Area which contributed to the registration of several leading drugs in multiple indications. Dr Patel has most recently been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, UCB, the global biopharmaceutical company.
 
Members of Inflazome’s Board of Directors include:
•             Dr. Manus Rogan, Chair, Managing Partner, Fountain Healthcare Partners
•             Dr. Matt Cooper, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
•             Florent Gros,  Managing Director, Novartis Venture Fund
•             Prof. Luke O’Neill, Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer
•             Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel, Independent Director
 
Members of Inflazome’s Scientific Advisory Board include:
•             Prof. Luke O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin
•             Dr. Douglas Golenbock, University of Massachusetts Medical School
•             Prof. Veit Hornung, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
•             Prof. Mihai G. Netea, Nijmegen University
•             Prof. Frances Balkwill, Queen Mary University of London
•             Dr. David Morris, Novartis Venture Fund
 
About Inflazome
Utilising the scientific expertise of our founders and advisors, Inflazome is leading the way in developing orally available drugs to address clinical unmet needs in inflammatory diseases by targeting the inflammasome, which is now thought to drive many chronic inflammatory conditions.
 
Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Inflazome was founded by leading academics Prof. Matt Cooper, The University of Queensland (Australia) and Prof. Luke O’Neill Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), following a highly productive joint collaboration. inflazome.com
 
Founding investors are Fountain Healthcare Partners (Dublin, Ireland) and Novartis Venture Fund (Basel, Switzerland).
 
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. fh-partners.com
 
About The Novartis Venture Fund
The Novartis Venture Fund (NVF) manages over $700 million in committed capital. NVF invests in companies that have the potential to change a core therapeutic field or explore new business areas that will be critical to patient care. NVF’s primary interest is in the development of novel therapeutics and platforms as well as medical devices, diagnostics, and delivery systems. The Funds invest for financial objectives at all stages, but prefers to invest in the early-stages of company development. With investment professionals located in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, MA the team has extensive experience in pharmaceutical R&D and venture capital. nvfund.com
 

Contacts:

Inflazome
Dr. Jeremy Skillington | VP Business Development | j.skillington@inflazome.com | +353 1 679 8591

Media
Jonathan Neilan | FTI Consulting | jonathan.neilan@fticonsulting.com | +353 1 765 0886
Patrick Berkery | FTI Consulting | patrick.berkery@fticonsulting.com | +353 1 765 0884

Vivasure Enrolls First Patient in Frontier IV Clinical Trial

International Trial Designed to Expand Indications for PerQseal Closure Technology
 

GALWAY, Ireland -Vivasure Medical® (“Vivasure”) is pleased to announce the successful enrollment of the first patient in the Frontier IV clinical study, a non-randomized multicenter international trial, designed to expand the indications of its proprietary PerQseal® large arteriotomy closure technology. The patient was enrolled by Dr. Peter Crean at the Blackrock Clinic, Dublin, Ireland.

Large arteriotomies (12F+) are vessel punctures created to facilitate endovascular procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), balloon valvuloplasty (BAV) and ventricular assist devices (VAD). PerQseal is the world’s first fully absorbable, patch-based large-bore percutaneous closure technology.

“Driven by clinical and economic outcomes data, percutaneous access-site management has become an increasingly important aspect of TAVR procedures,” said Dr. Christoph Naber of the department of cardiology and angiology, Contilia Heart and Vascular Centre, Essen, Germany, and TAVR principal investigator of Frontier IV. “I strongly believe PerQseal, which is designed specifically to address large arteriotomies, will help improve outcomes for these patients.”

“We are very excited to begin the Frontier IV trial as the next phase in our commitment to build the clinical experience with PerQseal,” said Gerard Brett, co-founder and CEO of Vivasure. “A percutaneous approach has now become the gold standard for procedures such as TAVR and EVAR, driven by clinical outcomes data. As patient volumes increase, access site management and closure has become an increasingly important aspect of complication and cost reduction. The data from this trial will be used to support our goal of expanding the indication range of the PerQseal technology.”

 

About PerQseal®

PerQseal® utilises a fully absorbable, intravascular patch, which seals large arteriotomies from the inside. It is comprised of a synthetic polymer implant, and an easy-to-use, ergonomically designed delivery system. The implant has a flexible, low-profile intravascular patch and a supporting scaffold. A portion of the scaffold extends through the arteriotomy, and includes a locator which helps maintain the implant in position. After deployment, the implant is rapidly endothelialised and fully absorbed.

 

About Vivasure

Based in Galway, Ireland, one of Europe’s largest medtech hubs, Vivasure is focused on the development of bioabsorbable implant technologies with vascular applications. Vivasure operates a fully integrated R&D and ISO 13485 certified manufacturing facility and is backed by leading international medtech investors.

 

Contacts
for Vivasure Medical
United States:
Jessica Volchok, +1 310-849-7985
jessica@healthandcommerce.com
or
Europe:
Jonathan Neilan, +353 (0)86 231 4135
jonathan.neilan@fticonsulting.com

 

 

 

 

Mainstay Medical Announces Jason Hannon Joins Board of Directors

Mr. Hannon appointed as a Director and begins his role as CEO
 

Mainstay Medical International plc (“Mainstay” or the “Company”, Euronext Paris: MSTY.PA and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange: MSTY.IE), a medical device company focused on bringing to market ReActiv8®, an implantable restorative neurostimulation system to treat disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (“CLBP”), announces that following the announcement of his appointment on 5 September, 2017, Mr. Jason Hannon has today taken up his role as CEO and been appointed as a Director of Mainstay.

Mr. Hannon joins Mainstay at a critical time in the Company’s development with the dual focus of commercializing the market-changing ReActiv8 technology in Europe and beyond, while simultaneously completing the global clinical trial in support of submission for FDA approval. 

Mr. Hannon said: “Mainstay has pioneered a new approach to treating chronic low back pain which seeks to help the body repair itself rather than merely masking pain. ReActiv8 is aimed at providing a new therapy for the large number of patients for whom other treatments have failed. I look forward to working with the team to maximize the potential of ReActiv8 globally and build on Mainstay’s technology platform.”

Mr.  Hannon joins Mainstay having most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer of NuVasive (NASDAQ:NUVA), a leading medical device company focused on transforming spine surgery with minimally disruptive, procedurally-integrated solutions.  During his 12-year tenure at NuVasive, the company’s commercial presence was expanded globally to more than 40 countries and revenue grew from $61M to $962M.

NeRRe Therapeutics Appoints Andrew Kay as Chairman of the Board

Extensive development & commercial expertise to guide company growth 
 

NeRRe Therapeutics, which is developing a unique portfolio of neurokinin (NK)-1 receptor antagonists for the treatment of common debilitating conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity, has appointed Andrew Kay as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Kay, who has extensive product development and commercial experience across the pharma and biotechnology sectors, takes over from Dr Kaasim Mahmood of Advent, who remains on the Board. Following the demerger of KaNDy Therapeutics, announced today, NeRRe Therapeutics is primarily focused on its lead product orvepitant, which is in a multinational Phase IIb trial for chronic refractory cough.

Mr Kay has worked in the biotechnology sector as CEO of Algeta ASA, which was sold to Bayer for $2.9bn in 2014, and as Chief Commercial Officer and a Board Director of Renovo. He started his industry career in the pharmaceutical sector, working in international roles at Novartis, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly, following a BPharm Hons degree from Nottingham University School of Pharmacy. Other current roles include Chairman of Blueberry Therapeutics, Chairman of Wilson Therapeutics and Senior Advisor to HealthCap VC. Mr Kay has also been appointed an adviser to KaNDy Therapeutics.

Dr Mary Kerr, CEO of NeRRe Therapeutics, said, "With his broad experience, Andrew's appointment as Chairman will bring tremendous value to the company as we advance orvepitant towards late-stage clinical development and commercialisation. NeRRe Therapeutics would also like to thank Kaasim for his guidance and we are pleased that he remains on the Board as Advent's representative."

Andrew Kay, Chairman of NeRRe Therapeutics, said, "With its focus on conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity related to neurokinin-1 receptor system dysfunction, the company has the opportunity to make a real difference in areas of unmet medical need such as chronic refractory cough. These are debilitating conditions for thousands of patients worldwide, and I am looking forward to helping NeRRe Therapeutics develop further."


About NeRRe Therapeutics (http://www.nerretherapeutics.com)

NeRRe Therapeutics is a private UK based clinical-stage company developing a unique pipeline of three neurokinin (NK)-1 antagonists for the treatment of common, chronic and debilitating conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity associated with neurokinin-1 receptor system dysfunction. Its portfolio is tackling a range of disorders with high unmet need including chronic refractory cough and chronic pruritus. The company is led by an experienced management team including Dr Mary Kerr (CEO), formerly SVP and Global Franchise lead at GSK and Dr Mike Trower (Co-founder, CSO/COO), formerly VP & Head of the External Drug Discovery Group in the Neurosciences CEDD at GSK.

NeRRe Therapeutics was founded in 2012 as a spin out from GSK.  Since it was founded, it has raised £31.5 million and is backed by leading international life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners, OrbiMed, Novo A/S, and by GSK. KaNDy Therapeutics was spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics in September 2017. NeRRe Therapeutics is based at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.  You can find more information about NeRRe Therapeutics at http://www.nerretherapeutics.com.

KaNDy Therapeutics launched to advance a breakthrough treatment in Women's Health

First-in-class once daily NT-814 spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics into new company

Stevenage, UK - KaNDy Therapeutics has been launched today to maximise the value of NT-814, a potential breakthrough medicine for the treatment of chronic debilitating Women’s Health conditions and is backed by internationally recognised life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners and OrbiMed Advisors. 

NT-814 is a first-in-class, once daily, dual mechanism neurokinin-1,3 receptor antagonist. The medicine is being developed as a non-hormonal alternative to hormone replacement therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms (PMVMS). NT-814 has been spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics Holdings Ltd into KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd a separate legal entity. 

KaNDy Therapeutics will advance the development of NT-814 into Phase 2b in the lead indication PMVMS while also exploring its potential in other Women's Health conditions. All formulation, pre-clinical and clinical safety and efficacy data, and intellectual property associated with NT-814 have been transferred to the new company. KaNDy Therapeutics is led by Managing Director Mary Kerr and chaired by Iain Dukes, Venture Partner at OrbiMed Advisors. The company is based at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst in the UK. 

NT-814 has significant potential to treat multiple debilitating Women’s Health conditions by virtue of the ability to beneficially modulate dysfunctional temperature control and reproductive hormone pathways. NT-814 has already successfully completed a Phase 2a proof of concept study demonstrating its potential to reduce the frequency and severity of PMVMS, and is now being prepared to enter an international Phase 2b study in this anchor indication. 

Iain Dukes, Chairman of KaNDy Therapeutics, said, “The formation of KaNDy Therapeutics enables us to maximise the potential of NT-814 in a range of debilitating Women's Health conditions. We believe NT-814 is one of the few true innovations in Women’s Health in more than two decades and potentially represents a major breakthrough in areas of significant unmet medical need such as PMVMS. Mary has built up an excellent team who have made substantial progress with NT-814 and we're looking forward to advancing this exciting new product into a Phase 2b programme.”
 
Professor Richard Anderson, Clinical Adviser, University of Edinburgh, commented, “For many women, menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes are debilitating and long-lasting, and can have a major impact on quality of life. As a potential once daily alternative to HRT without the issues surrounding hormone replacement, NT-814 could bring them considerable relief.” 

For further information, please contact:
Mary Kerr, Managing Director of KaNDy Therapeutics
Tel:  +44 1438 906960
Email: info@kandytherapeutics.com


About KaNDy Therapeutics
KaNDy Therapeutics is a UK based clinical-stage company focused on optimizing the potential of its unique NK-1,3 receptor antagonist NT-814 in the treatment of common, chronic debilitating female sex-hormone related conditions. NT-814 is in development initially as a non-hormonal therapy to treat moderate to severe post-menopausal vasomotor symptoms (PMVMS)). 

PMVMS affect up to 75% of peri-menopausal women. Symptoms last for 1–2 years after menopause in most women, but may continue for up to 10 years or longer in others. Approximately 20% of women will have debilitating symptoms. Hot flashes are the primary reason women seek medical care at menopause. Hot flashes not only disturb women at work and interrupt daily activities, but also have a detrimental effect on sleep. Post-menopausal vasomotor symptoms are experienced by millions of women globally on a daily basis.

The company is led by an experienced management team including Dr Mary Kerr (Managing Director), formerly SVP and Global Franchise lead at GSK and Dr Mike Trower (CSO/COO), formerly VP & Head of the External Drug Discovery Group in the Neurosciences CEDD at GSK and Dr Steve Pawsey (CMO) formerly at Circassia and Vernalis. 

KaNDy Therapeutics was spun out of NeRRe Therapeutics in September 2017, and is backed by internationally recognised life sciences investors: Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners and OrbiMed Advisors. KaNDy Therapeutics is based at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. You can find more information about KaNDy Therapeutics at www.kandytherapeutics.com. 

 

 

 

Mainstay Medical Announces Half Year Financial Results

  • ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial advancing well – enrollment on track to complete around end 2017
  • Initial commercialization of ReActiv8 in Europe is underway
  • Cash on hand at 30 June 2017 – $24.5 million

Mainstay Medical International plc (Mainstay or the Company, Euronext Paris: MSTY.PA and ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange: MSTY.IE), a medical device company focused on bringing to market ReActiv8®, an implantable restorative neurostimulation system to treat disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), today announces the publication of its report for the Half Year ended 30 June 2017.

Peter Crosby, CEO of Mainstay, commented: “The ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial is a key step towards commercialization in the US, our most significant target market. The Trial is advancing well, and the enrollment rate has been accelerating as the number of active sites increased during 2017, and based on our experience to date, we anticipate enrollment will complete around the end of 2017, with results available in 2018.

“Meanwhile, we have begun commercialization of ReActiv8 in Europe. Following the first sale and implant in early 2017, our initial customers are gaining experience with ReActiv8 and we are working with them to help integrate it into their clinical routine. We continue to advance our strategy of targeting key reference centers in Germany, and then building on that experience and data from the ReActiv8-B Trial to expand commercialization to additional centers and other countries.”


Business Update:

  • The ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial is an international, multi-center, prospective randomized sham-controlled triple blinded trial with one-way crossover, conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is intended to gather data in support of an application for pre-market approval (PMA) from the FDA, a key step towards the commercialization of ReActiv8 in the US. Information about the trial can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02577354.

During 2017, we have continued to advance the ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial and over half the required number of implants have now been performed.

  • In February 2017, we announced the first sale and implant had been performed at the Catholic Hospital Koblenz-Montabaur in Koblenz, Germany. We are focusing commercialization of ReActiv8 initially on Germany, where we aim to drive adoption of ReActiv8 in a select number of high volume multi-disciplinary spine care centers. As our pioneering customers are gaining more experience with the ReActiv8 therapy we are working with them towards the goal of making ReActiv8 part of their routine clinical practice. We are progressing discussions with other key centers in Germany, and implanter training for these centers is underway. Our strategy is to work with key reference centers in Germany, and then build on that experience and data from the ReActiv8-B Trial to expand commercialization to additional centers and other countries.

More recently, in May 2017, we announced that commercialization has begun in Ireland, Mainstay’s home market.
 

Financial Update:

  • Revenue during the six-month period ending 30 June 2017 was $0.25 million.
  • Operating expenses were $12.3 million ($8.0 million in 1H16) and the increase is driven by the ramp up of enrollments and implants in the ReActiv8-B Trial, and expenditure arising on sales activities (which commenced in 2017).
  • Cash on hand at 30 June was $24.5 million, and operating cash outflows for the period were $11.4 million.


About Mainstay

Mainstay is a medical device company focused on bringing to market an innovative implantable restorative neurostimulation system, ReActiv8®, for people with disabling Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). The Company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It has subsidiaries operating in Ireland, the United States, Australia and Germany, and its ordinary shares are admitted to trading on Euronext Paris (MSTY.PA) and the ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange (MSTY.IE).


About the ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial

The ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial is an international, multi-center, prospective randomized sham controlled blinded trial with one-way crossover conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE). The ReActiv8-B Clinical Trial is designed to generate data to form part of the Pre-Market Approval Application (PMAA) of ReActiv8® to the FDA. Further details can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02577354


About Chronic Low Back Pain

One of the recognized root causes of CLBP is impaired control by the nervous system of the muscles that dynamically stabilize the spine in the low back, and an unstable spine can lead to back pain. ReActiv8® is designed to electrically stimulate the nerves responsible for contracting these muscles and thereby help to restore muscle control and improve dynamic spine stability, allowing the body to recover from CLBP.

People with CLBP usually have a greatly reduced quality of life and score significantly higher on scales for pain, disability, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Their pain and disability can persist despite the best available medical treatments, and only a small percentage of cases result from an identified pathological condition or anatomical defect that may be correctable with spine surgery. Their ability to work or be productive is seriously affected by the condition and the resulting days lost from work, disability benefits and health resource utilization put a significant burden on individuals, families, communities, industry and governments.

Further information can be found at www.mainstay-medical.com