Xenex LightStrike germ-zapping robots in action
How to rid hospitals of the kind of bacteria that can produce superbugs and other hospital acquired infections has been a question that the Obama Administration task force made superbugs one of its healthcare priorities. Technology companies have been keen to prove their muster against these invisible contagions.
San Antonio-based medical device manufacturer Xenex Disinfection Services is one such company. Its robot army deploys pulsed xenon UV technology to cleanse operating rooms and other parts of medical facilities of germs hiding in plain site that can produce hospital-acquired infections such as C-difficile and MRSA.
The medical device company has raised $38 million in a Series I financing round led by private equity firm Essex Woodlands, according to a company news release. Piper Jaffray Merchant Banking, Malin Corp., and Tectonic Ventures, also took part in the fundraise. That brings the total raised by the company to date to $94 million.
The new capital will be used to support research, product development and bolster Xenex’s sales force in the U.S. and overseas, according to Morris Miller, Xenex CEO, in emailed responses to questions.
Xenex has more than 50 competitors that sell UV devices using mercury vapor bulbs to produce UV light, Miller said. He pointed out that Xenex is the only company that manufactures pulsed xenon UV room disinfection devices (i.e., its LightStrike germ-zapping robots).
“We are also the only UV company that has had had multiple hospitals publish studies about their infection reductions (50 percent to 100 percent decreases in MRSA infections, C.diff infections and surgical site infections) in the peer-reviewed literature. Pulsed xenon UV is scientifically different than the narrow spectrum UV light created by mercury bulbs,” Miller said.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
HAIs are responsible for up to 99,000 deaths annually and are one of the main reasons for hospital readmissions, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection.
Photo: Xenex
