FDA clears Sanovas’ Vas Zeppelin Smart Catheter to treat chronic pulmonary diseases, lung cancer

Sanovas Inc., a life science technology company developing and commercializing the next-generation of micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies, announced today that it has filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clearance of the company's Vas Zeppelin™ Smart Catheter™ for the treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases and lung cancer. The technology would be among the smallest interventional catheters commercially available, allowing physicians to access and deliver therapy to some of the tiniest and most remote passageways in the anatomy.

"This filing marks a significant milestone for Sanovas and beacons new opportunity for physicians and patients alike," Sanovas CEO Larry Gerrans said. "With one in seven Americans suffering from chronic pulmonary disease and with lung cancer killing more people than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined, new technologies aimed at the earliest stages of lung disease are desperately needed."

Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people suffer every day from chronic respiratory diseases. According to the World Health Organization 235 million people suffer with asthma and 64 million suffer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  While Lung cancer alone kills over one million people every year.

Existing surgical tools and technologies have long been recognized as being too invasive and/or too risky to be implemented in standard clinical practice because of the potential damage to the treatment site and/or post-operative complications. Sanovas is developing a system of miniaturized technologies intended to overcome the complexity and procedural risks associated with pulmonary intervention.

The Vas Zeppelin™ Smart Catheter System™ is being designed to provide surgeons the first intelligent, integrated approach to operating on a breathing lung. The system will feature a portfolio of integrated tools and sensors. The solution set is intended to synergize access, 3D imaging, physiologic metrics, on-board diagnostics and related therapy- enabling technologies to remove obstructions and to deliver drug and immune therapies to targeted locations.  

The Vas Zeppelin™ is the first component of the Vas Zeppelin™ Smart Catheter System™. It is intended to offer an immediate, meaningful solution to physicians and patients and to serve as the cornerstone to the company's arsenal of therapy enabling solutions. With two patents issued and more than 40 patents pending, Sanovas' strong intellectual property portfolio offers broad protection of the Vas Zeppelin™ Smart Catheter System™. The company will be actively filing for clearance of its follow on technologies over the ensuing months.