Pulmonx Appoints New Chief Executive

Redwood City, Calif.-based Pulmonx Corp. has appointed a new chief executive. Glen French joined the company as president, CEO and member of the board.

French has experience leading and transforming pulmonology, respiratory and endoscopic businesses. Most recently, he was CEO of ApniCure, a developer of proprietary devices for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

Prior to ApniCure, French was co-founder, president and CEO of Asthmatx, a developer of a catheter-based device for the treatment of asthma. At Asthmatx, he was responsible for guiding the company through clinical testing, U.S. Food and Drug Administration pre-market application approval, manufacturing expansion, initial product launch and acquisition by Boston Scientific Corp. Following the acquisition, French served as president, Pulmonary Endoscopy for Boston Scientific’s Endoscopy Division. Earlier, French co-founded and led Broncus Technologies, developer of minimally invasive devices for the diagnosis and treatment of lung disease, as well as NDO Surgical Inc., provider of natural orifice surgical devices.

“Glen has spent more than 15 years leading companies focused on the development of interventional pulmonology products. Glen’s deep market knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we continue to build momentum for Pulmonx’s products in the market,” said Rodney Perkins, M.D., Pulmonx founder and chairman of the board.

“There is a large need for effective, less invasive treatments for severe emphysema, and Pulmonx offers compelling technologies that fill this gap,” said French. “Through our good work we will help reduce the suffering and restore the quality of life of emphysema patients worldwide with both existing and new therapies.”

The Zephyr EBV is a minimally invasive treatment for severe emphysema that improves lung function, exercise tolerance and quality of life for patients receiving treatment. A proprietary diagnostic is run prior to the procedure to identify likely responders with a high degree of certainty. In the procedure, tiny, one-way valves are placed in the lungs to block airflow to hyperinflated regions to achieve lung volume reduction. As a result, the remaining healthy regions may function more efficiently, enabling better breathing and improving quality of life. More than 25,000 Zephyr EBVs have been implanted globally, according to the company.

Zephyr currently is undergoing clinical trials in the United States. It has CE mark in Europe.

The company also has a facility in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.