Terumo Heart Names Tom Gould and Mark Bullivant to Senior Management Positions in Left Ventricular Assist Device Market

By Prne, Gaea News Network
Tuesday, August 4, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Michigan -

Terumo Heart, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Terumo Corporation, today announced that it has named Thomas (Tom) B. Gould as Vice President, Clinical Affairs and Mark A. Bullivant, as Director, International Sales.

Gould joins Terumo Heart from Ventracor, Inc, where he was Vice President, Sales and Marketing, with responsibilities that included clinical site selection, clinical training and clinical support. Gould assumes clinical leadership of the DuraHeart(TM) Pivotal U.S. Trial for Bridge-to-Transplant, a multi-center, prospective, non-randomized study, involving 140 patients in up to 40 centers nationwide.

Bullivant joins Terumo from St. Jude Medical, where he held a number of management positions within the International Cardiac Surgical business, and more recently from Ulthera Inc. as International Zone Director, with responsibilities for the Middle East, Far East and Latin America. Bullivant will focus on the development of Terumo’s International DuraHeart business.

“I am extremely excited to add Tom and Mark to my leadership team. Their clinical background and direct experience within the cardiothoracic community and with left ventricular assist device technology will offer tremendous value to our customers, as well as, our clinical program,” said William Pinon, CEO and President, Terumo. “Their addition to Terumo Heart is well timed with the momentum we are seeing in our U.S. clinical trial and continued development of our global business.”

The DuraHeart LVAS is the first, third-generation rotary pump designed for long-term patient support that incorporates a centrifugal flow rotary pump with an active magnetically levitated impeller featuring three position sensors and magnetic coils that optimize blood flow, while minimizing device wear and tear. The ongoing DuraHeart Pivotal U.S. Trial for Bridge-to-Transplant is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the device in helping to sustain patients awaiting heart transplant who are at risk of death due to end-stage left ventricular failure. The DuraHeart LVAS carries a CE Mark and is currently available for sale in European countries. Additionally, the company has completed clinical trial enrollment for this device in Japan.

About Heart Failure

More than 22 million people suffer from heart failure worldwide with approximately one million new patients diagnosed annually. In the setting of an aging global population, heart failure is the number one reason for hospitalization. The most severely ill patients need heart transplants in order to recover. More than 8,000 people worldwide are on the list of eligible candidates for heart transplants annually, but less than 3,000 will receive a transplant each year. A large number of people who suffer from severe heart failure do not qualify for transplantation due to other health issues. An alternative for these patients is access to artificial mechanical assist devices. Left Ventricular Assist Systems are a type of mechanical circulatory device specifically designed to improve the quality of life of the patients waiting for donor hearts, as well as those who are ineligible for a heart transplant.

About Terumo Heart, Inc.

Terumo Heart, Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Terumo Corporation with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company’s focus is the innovation and introduction of products to improve the quality of healthcare for heart failure patients. Terumo Corporation, located in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading developer, manufacturer and global marketer of a wide array of medical products. DuraHeart is limited to investigational use only in the United States, and is CE marked in Europe. For more information visit www.terumoheart.com.

Source: Terumo Heart, Inc.

Martin Schildhouse, +1-305-606-3577, or Robert Murphy, +1-908-276-0777, both of The Storch-Murphy Group, Ltd. for Terumo Heart, Inc.

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