Comphya strengthens its team with the appointment of Pierre Chauvineau as new Board of Director
10 February 2021
PRESS RELEASE
Lausanne, Switzerland, February 10th, 2021. Comphya SA, the developer of CaverSTIM, the first implantable neurostimulator to restore erectile function in non-responders to oral drugs, today announced the appointment of Pierre Chauvineau as board of director.
Pierre Chauvineau is a senior executive with over 30 years of international business leadership in corporate and start-up companies within the Medtech industry. He has held senior executive positions at world leading medical device companies Medtronic and Boston Scientific. In the venture space, Pierre joined Cameron Health, a startup company based in California which was later acquired by Boston Scientific for USD 1.3 billion. Today, Pierre is current Chairman of the Board of Sequana Medical, a public company based in Ghent, Belgium, and Aurigen Medical, based in Gaway, Ireland. He is also board member of Creavo Medical and Rhythm AI, medtech startups based in the UK.
Pierre commented “I am pleased to join such a dynamic team combined with an exciting new and innovative technology. The combination of the two will support Comphya in addressing an unmet need to a large patient population.”
Steve Swinson, Chairman of Comphya commented “Pierre is an accomplished Medtech executive with deep expertise of tremendous value to Comphya as we move into our next stages of growth and bring our unique technology and solution to our patients”. “We are pleased to welcome Pierre Chauvineau to the Comphya team. With relevant insights from his large experience and network across Medtech, Pierre will greatly help to strengthen our commercial and organizational growth capabilities”, added Rodrigo Fraga-Silva, CEO.
About Pierre Chauvineau
Pierre has over 30 years of international business leadership in corporate and start-up companies within the Medtech industry. Having completed an MBA in International Management in the USA, Pierre started his career with Medtronic where he spent 20 years working in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland. In 2010, Pierre moved to the start-up world with Cameron Health, a California based start-up developing an implantable defibrillator, where he was successfully responsible for starting and developing the device commercialization across Europe. Cameron Health was later acquired by Boston Scientific for USD 1.3 billion. At Boston Scientific, Pierre led the largest European Business Unit (Rhythm Management). Currently, Pierre holds several non-executive positions, asChairman of the Board for Sequana Medical, IPO in 2019, a public company based in Gent (Belgium) and Aurigen Medical, a private company based in Galway (Ireland). He is also non-executive director for Creavo Medical and Rhythm AI, private companies based in the UK.
About Comphya SA
Comphya is a medical device company based in Lausanne, Switzerland, spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Our technology, named CaverSTIM, is a novel implantable device to restore erectile function in patients non-responsive to oral drugs (e.g., Viagra), particularly spinal cord injury and post-prostatectomy patients. Today, these patients resort to intrapenial injections or penile implants, which are the only available yet painful, problematic and outdated therapies.
Comphya’s patented solution is based on neuroprosthetic principles and offers a unique and superior treatment for erectile dysfunction. The system stimulates the cavernosal nerve (pro-erectile nerve) via external wireless controllers, to restore natural penile erection. The company’s goal is to offer physiological sexual function and quality of life to large parts of the male population in great need.
Comphya has raised USD 4.3 million from private and institutional investors, and it is currently preparing to start the pilot clinical trials early 2021.
CaverSTIM is the first implantable neurostimulator to restore erectile function, focused on non-responders to oral drugs. CaverSTIM is a neurostimulator with electrodes to be implanted in the pelvic cavity, which will activate and restore the neuronal path for penile erection. The technology consists of transmitting by radiofrequency operating instructions to the implantable unit, using an external control unit. The system includes two paddle leads with several electrodes each and connects to an Implanted Pulse Generator (IPG) to deliver electrical stimulation. The IPG, placed subcutaneously in the lower abdomen, is wirelessly programmed using a Clinician Programmer Application to enable the appropriate sets of electrodes and program the stimulation pulse sequence. The patient can turn stimulation on/off, adjust the amplitude, or select pre-defined stimulation pulse sequences using a Patient Remote Control. The IPG is periodically recharged using the external wireless Charger.
For more information, visit www.comphya.com.
Contact
Comphya SA
Rodrigo Fraga-Silva, PhD
CEO & Co-founder