American Life Sciences Exec to Manage U.S. Operations for Advanced Medical Balloons

Advanced Medical Balloons GmbH (AMB) has hired U.S.-based medical device industry veteran Stephen K. E. Forden as general manager of its United States operations.

AMB began expanding its intensive care business to the United States with a soft launch of its lead product hygh-tec late last year, establishing its first significant product sales and a broad customer pipeline.
 
“We are very happy to announce the appointment of Stephen K. E. Forden to the position of USA General Manager,” Advanced Medical Ballons CEO Frank Gehres said. “Stephen is a knowledgeable and capable leader with extensive experience in the medical device sector and has a deep understanding of the needs and market opportunities in the critical care segment. With his excellent track record in achieving revenue growth, and expanding commercial footprints, he is a great fit for our company.”
 
In this new role, Forden will support commercialization of AMB’s catheter technology, based on microscopically thin, intricately shaped polyurethane balloon films. Its flagship product, hygh-tec, is designed for urgent care in hospitals, including intensive care units, burn units, and other specialized departments, where managing fecal output is critical. hygh-tec, is CE-marked, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2023 and MDR approval in 2024; the fecal management system provides a safe and effective solution for managing fecal incontinence, reducing the risk of skin breakdown and pressure injuries. The technology represents a paradigm shift in fecal management and the critical need to reduce leakage in these critical care departments, according to AMB. In addition, the company has developed a pipeline of products addressing unmet clinical needs, including significantly improved endotracheal tubes for mechanical ventilation and urinary catheters, addressing a more than $2 billion (annual) market potential.
 
Prior to joining AMB, Forden has worked with many prominent medical device and life sciences firms, including Zimmer, Smith+Nephew Orthopaedics, Johnson & Johnson, ConvaTec, and others. Forden held various senior leadership roles throughout his career including successful assignments at ConvaTec as vice president and general manager for both the United States and Asia Pacific. He was then promoted to a global role as vice president of Marketing and Sales, Continence and Critical Care. This role included commercial responsibility for ConvaTec’s Flexi-Seal product line.

Forden earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

“I am delighted to join this group of experienced medtech professionals on a mission to rethink catheter technology for critical care and improve patient outcomes at medical centers across the U.S.,” Forden stated. “I’d like to thank Frank Gehres, CEO, and David Johnson, chairman of the Board of Directors, for this opportunity. I look forward to connecting with healthcare professionals, industry partners, and customers to explore how Advanced Medical Balloons can support their needs.”
 
Advanced Medical Balloons is a specialized medical technology company that develops and markets catheter technology based on microscopically thin, complex shaped polyurethane balloon films. AMB taps the properties of these structures for problem-solving platform concepts in the fecal, urinary and respiratory segments. The current focus is on systems for containing patient contamination. In this context, AMB is developing contamination-free drainage technology for fecal management in intensive care patients, which provides significant benefits in nursing, hygiene management, and patient therapy. The first product using this technology, hygh-tec, is already used in German-speaking countries with great success and since 2023 also marketed in the United States. AMB was founded in 2009 and is based in Waghäusel, near Heidelberg, Germany, and in Atlanta, Ga.. Since 2021, the company has been financed by a strong investor syndicate led by Wellington Partners, Munich, and comprising MIG AG as well as Salvia GmbH, the private investment office of Helmut Jeggle, chairman at BioNTech SE.