Impulse Dynamics raised $45 million in equity for its device that treats chronic heart failure by delivering electrical pulses to boost the heart’s ability to contract.
The company’s technology, dubbed Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM), is delivered via its implantable Optimizer device, which is in clinical studies to support an FDA submission.
The device is about the size of a pacemaker and sends nonexcitatory electrical impulses to the heart muscle. One lead senses atrial activity, while another two leads sense ventricular activity and deliver the impulses. But unlike a pacemaker, the Optimizer device aims to modulate the strength of the heart’s contractions rather than its rhythm.
The CCM therapy brings about biochemical and neurohormonal changes in the heart muscle, making it work more efficiently, the company said. While it is only approved for investigational use in the U.S., the device is available in Europe and has been used to treat more than 3,500 patients, the company said.
"We believe that CCM addresses a significant unmet need in the chronic heart failure treatment paradigm," said Ray Yang, investment vice president at Goldstone Investment, which led the financing. "We look forward to seeing Impulse realize its potential of helping millions of patients globally who currently can't get symptom relief with existing device therapies."
Last year, the company, which has offices in New York, the Netherlands Antilles, Germany and Hong Kong, picked up $30 million. It pegged the funds for clinical and product development as well as commercial expansion.