Sorin Group Partners With Respicardia on Respiratory Rhythm Management Treatment

Sorin Group is investing $20 million in Respicardia, a developer of implantable therapies to improve respiratory rhythm management therapies. Under the terms of the transaction, Sorin also acquired the exclusive right to distribute the remedē System for the next five years in selected countries in Europe and an exclusive option to acquire Respicardia in the future. Respicardia is based in Minneapolis, Minn.

Respicardia has developed a fully implantable device for the treatment of central sleep apnea (CSA). The remedē System is a pacemaker-like device that delivers electrical pulses via an implantable transvenous lead to the phrenic nerve which restores a more natural, less disrupted breathing pattern, according to the company. The remedē System received CE Mark approval in 2010 and is currently being evaluated in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved randomized, controlled investigational device exemption trial.

Sorin’s $20 million initial investment in Respicardia will finance on-going clinical testing of the technology. The investment represents an ideal complement to Sorin’s therapeutic solutions for heart failure patients, Sorin executives said.

Central sleep apnea is a type of sleep-disordered breathing that disturbs the normal breathing pattern during sleep and adversely affects patients’ overall cardiovascular health. CSA is an undertreated condition and affects more than 5 million patients worldwide. More than one third of heart failure patients suffer from CSA with many patients experiencing a worsening of heart failure symptoms and an increased risk of death. There currently is a significant unmet clinical need for more effective therapeutic solutions to better manage patients with CSA.

“Sorin Group is excited to support, through this partnership with Respicardia, the development and commercialization of a technology that has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of patients with central sleep apnea,” said André-Michel Ballester, CEO of Sorin Group.

“We are delighted to have Sorin Group, a leading European cardiovascular medical device company, as our strategic partner, given our complementary expertise and shared commitment to treating central sleep apnea, a significant co-morbidity for heart failure patients. Together, we look forward to providing patients with the remedē System,” said Bonnie Labosky, president/CEO of Respicardia.

Sorin Group is a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of technologies for cardiac surgery and for the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. With more than 3,500 employees worldwide, the company focuses on two major therapeutic areas — cardiac surgery (cardiopulmonary products for open heart surgery and heart valve repair or replacement products) and cardiac rhythm management (pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization devices).

Founded in late 2006, Respicardia develops implantable therapies to improve respiratory and cardiovascular health.