Essential Medical closed a $14.9M Series B round, which it will use to start a U.S. clinical trial for its vascular closure device and to commercialize it in Europe.
The CE-marked Manta device is intended to close large bore punctures in the femoral artery following cardiac catheterization procedures, the company said in a statement. These include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), ventricular assist and balloon aortic valvuloplasty.
The device, which has “x-ray visibility and improved deployment control,” is designed to cut down on the complications and morbidities that come with large bore closures, such as extended procedure time and more time needed to achieve hemostasis, or stop the flow of blood, the company said in the statement.
Amzak Health led the round, which had participation from existing investor DSM Venturing. “The Amzak group will also provide additional expertise and experience to our board of directors as our company transitions to commercialization in Europe and the initiation of the U.S. clinical trial for our Manta product,” said CEO Greg Walters in the statement.
Essential also makes the X-Seal 6F vascular closure device, which won an FDA investigational device exemption last month. It is designed to close smaller bore punctures in the femoral artery, from procedures such as angiography, angioplasty, and stenting. The company will conduct a single-arm pivotal study involving 180 patients in the U.S.