Vensica Therapeutics

Minimally invasive, needle-free, Foley-like catheter to deliver the toxin into the bladder wall for the treatment of overactive bladder.

Vensica is developing an ultrasound catheter used to deliver Botox into the bladder wall painlessly and without the use of needles. The catheter leverages the known properties of ultrasound (opens pores in the tissue and “pushes” the drug through these pores).

The procedure using Vensica’s system can be performed in the doctor’s office or clinic, without anesthesia. Read more about the idea behind Vensica’s system.

• Simplifies treatment: Direct visualization of the bladder wall is not required.
• Reduces costs: The simple procedure can be performed in an office or clinic, not the operating room.
• Improves patient satisfaction: Painless procedure, no sedation required.
• Reduces risk: Needle-free procedure eliminates potential infections associated with injections.

IP

2 patent families on delivery technology

• Vensica Therapeutics inks strategic partnership with Merz to establish urology treatment platform
• Vensica published its First in Human trial results in Medicine and Clinical Science and welcomes Nissim Darvish as Chairman.
• Preclinical & FIH validation displaying superiority both in efficacy & safety over Botox® injections
• In licensing of Venoxin (BoNT A already FDA approved for other indications)
• Finalization of delivery technology through ultrasonic cavitation, with unmatched advantages over needle injection.
• Cogentix Medical invests $2 million, part of structured acquisition
• Successful preclinical trials

In the Media

• Israel 21c: “Now there’s needle-free Botox for your bladder”
• Globes and others: “Vensica Completes $500,000 Finance Round“

The market seeks a safe, painless method to deliver Botox into the bladder wall, without needles.

Overactive bladder (OAB), characterized by the urgent need to urinate and involuntary loss of urine, has a negative impact on the quality of life. In 50% of the cases, medications are ineffective and often have significant side effects. In 2011, the FDA approved the use of Botox to treat OAB. This procedure is performed using a cystoscope (to visualize the interior of the bladder) and a needle to inject the Botox. While Botox has demonstrated effectiveness in treating OAB, the procedure is expensive, painful (20-30 injection sites), risky (urinary tract infections), and in most cases performed under sedation.

OAB is the most common type of bladder disorder. There are an estimated 39 million people in the United States alone with OAB, and 4 million of them are unsatisfied with treatment.*

*W. Stuart Reynolds , Jay Fowke, Roger Dmochowski. The Burden of Overactive Bladder on US Public Health. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep. 2016 March. The Total Economic Burden of Overactive Bladder in the United States: A Disease Specific Approach. Am J Manag Care. 2009 March.