ZOLL Medical Acquires TherOx to Expand Portfolio with FDA-Approved SSO2 Therapy for Acute Myocardial Infarction

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned from foreign media that ZOLL Medical recently announced the acquisition of medical device company TherOx, with the specific transaction amount undisclosed. This marks ZOLL Medical’s second acquisition this month, following its purchase of Cardiac Science just one week ago, which added an automated external defibrillator (AED) portfolio to its offerings.

It is reported that, following this acquisition, ZOLL Medical will obtain TherOx’s supersaturated oxygen (SSO₂) therapy, which was just approved by the FDA in April of this year for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

TherOx (NASDAQ: THER), founded in 1994, is a private medical device company based in Irvine, California, USA. The company is dedicated to developing SSO₂ therapy for the broad population of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), aiming to repair damaged heart tissue and thereby save the lives of cardiac patients.

SSO₂ therapy is a novel treatment for heart disease. It helps restore blood flow to the heart by infusing superoxygenated blood into patients, thereby reducing the area of vascular infarction. SSO₂ therapy requires prior opening of the coronary arteries via percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), followed by immediate one-time infusion of the patient’s superoxygenated blood through a microcatheter directly into the target ischemic region of the heart, with an infusion duration of approximately 60 minutes. This superoxygenated blood helps reduce capillary swelling and restore blood flow in surrounding tissues, thus decreasing the extent of myocardial infarction. PCI enables stent placement within the coronary arteries, helping occluded vessels regain their normal patency.

“Both ZOLL and TherOx are focused on emergency cardiac care,” said Neil Johnston, President of Zoll Medical. “This acquisition expands ZOLL’s product portfolio, enabling caregivers to provide more comfortable care for patients.”

Neil Johnston added, “Because SSO 2 therapy is administered after PCI and stent implantation, the catheterization laboratory workflow is not disrupted. We believe this no-delay treatment approach will be embraced by physicians and transform current clinical outcomes.”

“AMI is a serious heart condition, and SSO2 therapy can help AMI patients significantly reduce infarct size,” added Kevin Larkin, CEO of TherOx. “When used as an adjunct to PCI, SSO2 therapy can salvage myocardium in patients with acute myocardial infarction and reduce cardiac infarct size. Furthermore, we look forward to becoming part of the ZOLL family so that we can more rapidly bring this breakthrough treatment to a broader population of AMI patients.”

ZOLL Medical, established in 1980 and headquartered in Massachusetts, USA, is a medical device company. The company is dedicated to developing medical devices for emergency care and related software solutions to enhance clinical operational efficiency. It is a subsidiary of the Asahi Kasei Group.

(Compiled by Wang Chan)