LOS ALTOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vascular Pathways Inc., a privately held medical device manufacturer with a breakthrough product for peripheral intravenous access, today announced that the company has elected Eugene (“Gene”) T. Starr as president, chief executive officer and member of its board of directors. The new appointment follows the company’s recent $14 million Series B financing by leading venture capital firms CHL Medical Partners, Ascension Health Ventures, MVM Life Science Partners and Arcus Ventures. Along with this new appointment, the company has announced it will relocate its headquarters to Naples, Fla.
Gene Starr has a long history as a senior executive in the medical device industry, compiling a successful track record in growing young companies and corporate operating divisions. Until 2006, he was the president and chief executive officer of Venetec International, a venture capital backed manufacturer of the StatLock® IV securement device, which was successfully sold to C.R. Bard in 2006 for $168 million. Before joining Venetec, he was president of Conmed’s Electrosurgery Division and president of Tyco’s Healthcare Group – Canada, where he successfully managed a number of important hospital product launches. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with U.S. Surgical in a variety of general management and sales executive positions.
“Gene Starr has the right experience, market insights and proven leadership to build Vascular Pathways into a highly successful global medical device company, and we are very excited to have attracted a CEO of his caliber. We look forward to working with Gene to make the Rapid IntraVascular Start (RIVS) IV catheter the new standard in peripheral intravenous access, bringing benefits to clinicians and patients across the United States and internationally,” said Vascular Pathway’s interim Chief Executive Officer Nelson K. Stacks.
Starr joins Vascular Pathway as the company prepares for the commercial launch of its U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared RIVS IV catheter. More than 300 million peripheral intravenous catheters are placed in patients in the United States alone each year, and current catheters are plagued by a high rate of failed, lengthy and painful insertion attempts. Despite this decades-old problem, there has been little innovation aimed towards addressing this substantial unmet medical need. The novel but simple design of the RIVS catheter enables reproducibly rapid, easy and safe insertion of the device by all trained clinicians.
“Dr. Amir Belson and his colleagues have developed a truly novel product which has the potential to vastly improve patient care. I believe that the company has tremendous growth potential, and I am delighted to be part of the team that will make RIVS a success in this large and important market,” Starr remarked.
About Vascular Pathways Inc.
Vascular Pathways is a private, venture capital backed medical device company focused on commercializing the Rapid IntraVascular Start (RIVS) catheter, an FDA cleared innovative device enabling rapid, safe, and successful IV insertion.
