Healthcare Industry News: Ablation Catheter
News Release - December 10, 2009
Endosense Names Jan H. Egberts, M.D. Chairman of the Board, Adds Michael J. Dormer as New Board Director
GENEVA--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Endosense, a medical technology company focused on improving the efficacy, safety and reproducibility of catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, has announced the appointment of health-care industry veterans Jan H. Egberts, M.D. and Michael J. Dormer, to new chairman of the board and board director, respectively. Representing several decades of senior management experience at industry-leading medical device and pharmaceutical companies, the two join Endosense as it pursues the European commercialization and U.S. Premarket Approval (PMA) clinical study of the company’s proprietary force-sensing Ablation Catheter, the TactiCath®.“Jan and Mike are extremely accomplished business leaders with a proven ability to drive innovation and generate growth, and we expect their guidance to be invaluable as we continue to execute the commercialization and continued study of our TactiCath catheter,” said Eric Le Royer, president and chief executive officer, Endosense. “Jan and Mike are very enthusiastic about the Endosense team, our accomplishments and our unique approach to treating cardiac arrhythmias. Coming from well-respected professionals in the industry and the venture world, this support is a great validation of the TactiCath’s potential to transform the field of catheter ablation.”
Dr. Egberts joins Endosense with significant senior management experience in the venture capital, specialty pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Most recently an industrialist-in residence and senior advisor for the Healthcare Investments group of private equity firm 3i, his many corporate management positions have included: chief executive officer and chairman of Novadel; chief operating officer of Dynogen; chairman of Molnlycke Healthcare Inc. and president of Molnlycke’s BARRIER Surgical division; vice president of worldwide business and market development as well as a global executive board member for Johnson & Johnson Medical; and executive director of marketing at Merck & Co.
“Endosense’s TactiCath is a profoundly important new tool for electrophysiologists and their cardiac arrhythmia patients, as it finally answers the critical, unmet need of contact force-sensing during the catheter ablation procedure,” said Egberts. “It is with pleasure that I take on the role of chairman of the board, as I believe that together we will improve the standard of care for millions of patients worldwide.”
Dormer brings to Endosense more than 30 years of experience in the medical device sector, with the majority of his career spent in progressively senior management positions at Johnson & Johnson and DePuy (acquired in 1998 by Johnson & Johnson). He most recently served as Johnson & Johnson’s Worldwide Chairman, Medical Devices and was a member of the company’s Executive Committee. An active voice in the industry, Dormer has also served on the Executive Committee of AdvaMed. He is currently the executive chairman of Neoss Ltd. and non-executive chairman of Jenavalve Inc.
“Endosense is an exceptional company with a unique value proposition in the high-growth therapeutic area of catheter ablation. I look forward to being an active participant in the company’s success,” said Dormer.
About the TactiCath
Granted the CE mark for atrial fibrillation (AF) and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) indications earlier this year, Endosense’s TactiCath is the first and only force-sensing Ablation Catheter to give physicians a real-time, objective measure of contact force during the catheter ablation procedure. It has undergone considerable pre-clinical and clinical testing, the results of which have created a solid foundation of evidence supporting the feasibility, safety and value of contact-force sensing during catheter ablation. The TactiCath has the potential to improve the effectiveness, safety and reproducibility of catheter ablation treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders, including AF.
About Atrial Fibrillation
AF is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder today, affecting more than six million people worldwide. Currently, most AF patients are treated with pharmaceutical drugs that do not address the underlying cause and have side effects, with invasive ablation surgery as the primary treatment alternative. Endosense is focused on providing this sizeable patient population with a minimally invasive treatment option that is both safe and effective. The overall market for AF treatments represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity. The atrial fibrillation ablation market has been growing at a rate of over 50 percent for the past five years. Double-digit market growth is expected to continue for the next five to 10 years, driven by an aging population and safer, more effective and more widely performed ablation procedures.
About Endosense
Founded in Geneva in 2003, Endosense is a medical technology company focused on improving efficacy, safety and reproducibility of catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. The company has pioneered the use of contact force measurement in catheter ablation, with the development of its proprietary Touch+® sensor technology. Endosense’s flagship product is the TactiCath®, the first force-sensing Ablation Catheter to give physicians a real-time, objective measure of contact force during the catheter ablation procedure.
Endosense closed a USD 36 million series B financing in August 2009 with participation from Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Neomed, Gimv, VI Partners, Sectoral Asset Management, Ysios Capital Partners and Initiative Capital Romandie.
For more information, visit www.endosense.com.
Source: Endosense
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