Surefire Medical, Inc. is developing direct-to-tumor drug delivery systems that are are designed to be used in minimally invasive interventional procedures. The company has announced a successful $15 million Series C financing led by Tullis Health Investors. The financing will go toward the global launch of the Surefire Precision device specifically designed for chemoembolization and radioembolization procedures in treating both primary and secondary (metastatic) liver cancer.
“Tullis Health Investors looks forward to working with Surefire Medical on domestic and international commercial expansion, in particular the opportunity for Surefire in China,” John Tullis, Partner at Tullis Health Investors, said in a statement. “With more than 50 percent of global primary liver cancer cases occurring in China, the launch of the Precision is positioning Surefire to drive adoption by physicians performing embolization procedures, and may also help to decrease overall treatment costs.”
As a company statement explained, approximately 80 percent of the more than 700,000 liver cancers (the third most common cause of cancer deaths) diagnosed annually worldwide are inoperable, requiring alternative treatment. The company’s technology is currently being used in 14 countries and more than 100 hospitals in the U.S.
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“With the closing of this Series C Financing and our collaboration with the Tullis team, we are launching our innovative and new Precision technology to physicians worldwide for treatment of primary liver cancers,” James Chomas, President and CEO of Surefire Medical, said in a statement. “The growing body of clinical evidence suggests that increasing the amount of therapeutic agents delivered into the tumor may improve patient response and overall survival. With the Surefire technology, more of the dose reaches the tumor while sparing healthy tissue.”
Photo: Screenshot via Surefire Medical