Shockwave Medical Names New Board Chairman

Shockwave Medical, a pioneer in the development and commercialization of intravascular lithotripsy to treat complex calcified cardiovascular disease, has appointed Ray Larkin Jr. to its Board of Directors as chairman.
 
“I am excited to have Ray on board as Shockwave moves forward in our efforts to help our customers tackle the considerable challenge of treating complex calcified cardiovascular disease,” said Doug Godshall, president and CEO of Shockwave. “His rich experience in company building and board leadership makes Ray an excellent addition to Shockwave.”
 
Larkin is presently board chairman of both Align Technology Inc. and Reva Medical Inc., and was chairman of HeartWare Inc. until the time it was acquired by Medtronic plc in 2016.  Previously, he was president and CEO of Nellcor Puritan Bennett Inc., one of the world’s preeminent respiratory products companies, which grew to nearly $1 billion in revenues under Larkin’s 15-year leadership. Larkin also served as CEO of Eunoe, a company focused a developing a technology to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.  In addition to these roles, Larkin has served on the boards of several additional public and private companies.
 
“I am honored to be joining the Shockwave Board of Directors during a pivotal time in the company’s history. I look forward to working with my fellow directors and becoming a part of the Shockwave team as we further develop the company’s novel technology portfolio and continue to expand its commercial operation,” Larkin stated.
 
Shockwave Medical’s IVL System leverages similar principles to urologic lithotripsy, which has been used as a safe and effective treatment to break up kidney stones for several decades. The generator produces energy that travels through the connector cable and catheter to an array of miniaturized lithotripsy emitters located near the calcified lesion. With the integrated balloon expanded to ultra-low pressure, a small electrical discharge at the emitters vaporizes the fluid within the balloon, creating a rapidly expanding bubble that collapses within microseconds. The bubble’s expansion and collapse generate a series of sonic pressure waves that travel through the fluid-filled balloon and pass through soft vascular tissue, selectively cracking any hardened calcified plaque inside the vessel wall. After the calcium has been fractured, the integrated balloon can be expanded, performing angioplasty safely at low pressures.

Watch an animation of the Intravascular Lithotripsy procedure in the video below:

 

Shockwave Medical, based in Santa Clara, Calif., is developing and commercializing products intended to transform the way calcified cardiovascular disease is treated.