If veins in the legs don’t work properly, it can be difficult for blood to return to the heart. Blood can start to pool in the legs and lead to skin changes and painful ulceration. The condition, called chronic venous insufficiency, is actually exceedingly common – studies find it can impact up to 24 percent of adults as they age.
The only treatments currently available are compression stockings and wound care.
Bay Area startup InterVene Inc. just raised a $5.9 million Series A round with a catheter-based therapy that treats this issue, backed by Boston Scientific and a number of other investors.
Why Pharma Companies Should Look To Social Media For Better Patient Insight
Healthcare decision-makers, especially at pharmaceutical companies, must prioritize patient input. Data collected from social media listening is a significant step in the right direction.
InterVene says the condition costs the U.S. healthcare system nearly $1.9 billion. The funding will support a two-stage clinical trial that’ll attempt to show whether the therapy works safely and correctly.
“These studies will be the first ever involving a catheter-based therapy to correct the underlying cause of chronic venous insufficiency by creating new deep vein valves out of a patient’s own vein wall tissue,” InterVene CEO Fletcher Wilson said in a statement.
Here’s how it works, according to InverVene:
InterVene’s minimally invasive approach creates venous leaflets from the intima – the innermost layer of the vein wall – while leaving the outermost layers intact. These leaflets function as one-way valves, restoring normal venous pressure and preventing blood from pooling in the legs. This percutaneous technique is predicated on an open-surgical procedure, The Maleti Neovalve.
The Power Behind Enterprise EHR Software for Large Healthcare Systems
Enterprise EHR boosts scalability, interoperability, and governance for large healthcare systems.
Though the funding was led by Boston Scientific, other investors including North Texas Angels Network, Green Park and Golf Ventures, Launch Capital and a syndicate of angels participated in the round. Intervene was launched out of the Stanford Biodesign Fellowship and joined The Fogarty Institute for Innovation.
[Photo courtesy of Flickr user Zack George]