China's Venus MedTech Acquires Germany's Transcatheter Technologies

April 18, 2016—Transcatheter Technologies GmbH, a German medical device company, announced that it has sold its technology portfolio to China-based Venus MedTech (HangZhou) Inc., which develops and manufactures an advanced interventional artificial cardiac valve system. The Transcatheter Technologies portfolio, which includes a full range of transcatheter heart valve replacement systems, will be the basis of a next-generation product portfolio developed and marketed by Venus MedTech for the Chinese and international markets. 

Under the agreement, Transcatheter Technologies’ cofounders—Chief Executive Officer and cardiac surgeon Wolfgang Goetz, MD, and Chief Technology Officer and engineer Hou-Sen Lim—will assist Venus MedTech with the transition and commercialization of the acquired technology for up to 3 months. 

The announcement advised that Venus MedTech’s transcatheter aortic valve has completed clinical trials and follow up with pending Chinese regulatory approval. The company’s transcatheter pulmonic valve is completing its clinical trials. Both of the valves are expected to be the first transcatheter valves approved in China. Venus MedTech is also developing next-generation heart valves with precrimping technology. 

In the press release, Dr. Goetz commented, “Transcatheter Technologies was founded with the goal of making noninvasive heart valve implantation safer for patients, therefore expanding the number of patients who may benefit from this procedure. This agreement with Venus MedTech helps us continue this mission and will fuel the continued development of our next-generation technology platform for the treatment of various structural heart diseases in the Chinese market.” 

Dr. Goetz noted that the company has completed 2-year follow-up for a pilot study of its third-generation Trinity device, which is designed to be a “truly repositionable” transcatheter aortic valve replacement system.

Transcatheter Technologiest stated that Venus MedTech’s goal is to be a worldwide transcatheter heart valve company. In March, Venus MedTech announced that it had received an investment of $37 million from Goldman Sachs to support research and development and marketing activities for Venus MedTech’s cardiac valve products. The company also announced the establishment of the Cardiac Valve Research Institute.