Flow Forward Spins Off From Novita to Focus on Product Development

Flow Forward Medical Inc. has declared its independence from Novita Therapeutics LLC.

The early-stage medical device company has spun itself off from Novita at the Venture Accelerator in the Kansas Bioscience Park in Olathe. Flow Forward was initially founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of Novita, a privately held life sciences incubator.

“Flow Forward is focused on developing the AFE System, which has the potential to increase the number of hemodialysis patients using an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), the gold standard in vascular access sites,” said F. Nicholas Franano, M.D., CEO of Flow Forward. “Currently, many patients are unable to get a functional AVF due to inadequate vein size and poor vein maturation, and we believe our system can help overcome these problems.”

Hemodialysis is a lifesaving treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that requires the patient to have a vascular access site. The preferred type of site for hemodialysis patients is an AVF, due to improved patient survival, reduced complications and hospitalization rates, and large reductions in the cost of care when compared with other forms of access. However, nearly half of U.S. hemodialysis patients do not currently use an AVF for vascular access, primarily due to inadequate vein diameter and high rates of AVF failure.

Flow Forward’s Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility (AFE) System is a small, temporary, minimally-invasive blood pump designed to rapidly dilate peripheral veins through flow-mediated dilation prior to AVF surgery. Use of the AFE System could increase patient eligibility for AVF and improve success rates after AVF surgery, the company claims. In a presentation at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting earlier this year, Flow Forward reported results of a small pilot nonclinical study showing vein dilation 20 times faster and a large reduction in vascular scar tissue formation during vein maturation, when compared with traditional AVF creation.

“This represents real innovation, with the potential to deliver benefits to patients that would not have previously been thought possible,” said Tom Krol, managing director at the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) and a Flow Forward investor and director. “Development and commercialization of the AFE System could alleviate some of the burden that vascular access failure places on patients, health care providers and payers.”