October 28, 2014 — Sorin Group announced today a $20 million minority investment in Respicardia, a developer of implantable therapies to improve Respiratory Rhythm Management. Under the terms of the transaction, Sorin also acquired the exclusive right to distribute the remed? System for the next five years in selected countries in Europe and an exclusive option to acquire Respicardia in the future. Respicardia is based in Minneapolis.
Respicardia has developed the first fully implantable device for the treatment of central sleep apnea (CSA). The remed? System is a pacemaker-like device that delivers electrical pulses via an implantable transvenous lead to the phrenic nerve which restores a more natural, less disrupted breathing pattern. The remed? System received CE mark approval in 2010 and is currently being evaluated in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved randomized, controlled IDE pivotal trial.
Central sleep apnea (CSA) is a type of sleep-disordered breathing that disturbs the normal breathing pattern during sleep and adversely affects patients’ overall cardiovascular health. CSA is an undertreated condition and affects more than 5 million patients worldwide. Over one-third of heart failure patients suffer from CSA, with many patients experiencing a worsening of heart failure symptoms and an increased risk of death. Today there is a significant unmet clinical need for more effective therapeutic solutions to better manage patients with CSA.
For more information: www.sorin.com, www.respicardia.com