William T. Abraham, MD, joins V-Wave as Chief Medical Officer

March 12, 2019 |

4 min read

V-Wave Ltd. announced that renowned heart failure cardiologist, William T. Abraham, MD, is joining V-Wave as Chief Medical Officer.

CAESAREA, Israel, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- V-Wave Ltd., an early stage medtech company developing an implantable interatrial shunt device for treating advanced heart failure (HF) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), announced today that renowned heart failure cardiologist, William T. Abraham, MD, is joining V-Wave as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Abraham makes this move to V-Wave after more than 16 years as Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Ohio State University.

$V-Wave Ltd. is an Israel-based company that has developed a proprietary, minimally invasive implanted interatrial shunt device for treating patients with severe symptomatic heart failure with either preserved or reduced ejection fraction. V-Wave is enrolling patients in its global, randomized, controlled, double-blinded, 500 patient pivotal study, the RELIEVE-HF study, which will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of V-Wave’s novel therapy. The study is funded by a $70M C-Round financing. (PRNewsfoto/V-Wave Ltd.)$

Dr. Abraham has vast clinical trial experience with drugs and devices for heart failure. He has participated as a site Principal Investigator in more than 100 multicenter clinical drug and device trials, serving as national or international Principal Investigator and/or on the Executive or Steering Committees of more than 50 multicenter trials. He was the lead author on the landmark MIRACLE clinical trial for cardiac resynchronization therapy published in 2002, a lead Principal Investigator (PI) for the CHAMPION implantable hemodynamic monitoring trial published in 2011, and one of the lead PIs for the recently published COAPT trial studying percutaneous mitral valve repair. He has participated in all regulatory phases of new device development from pre-clinical assessment through FDA Pre-Market Approval (PMA) submission and approval. He has authored more than 1,000 original research manuscripts and other papers, and has been published in high impact journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“I am thrilled that Bill is now leading our Medical Affairs,” said V-Wave CEO Neal Eigler, MD. “His joining V-Wave reflects his faith in the potential transformational impact of the V-Wave technology for patients with advanced Heart Failure. Bill will devote his time and energy to support our recently launched 500 patient pivotal study, RELIEVE-HF, and to facilitate the successful completion of our clinical programs. In addition, Bill will lead our strategies as we engage with clinicians, clinical societies, and government agencies. No one has done more than Bill to help bring innovative therapies to HF patients around the world. He is the most influential key opinion leader in our field because of his unparalleled experience, skill, and scientific integrity.”

“I loved my leadership roles at Ohio State,” noted Dr. Abraham. “Given the enormous potential impact of the V-Wave product, I am delighted that the next stage of my career will be focused on bringing the interatrial shunt to millions of patients worldwide. Advanced HF is a major public health problem in the US and around the world with more than six million Americans suffering from the condition. For decades, we have been managing severe heart failure, both preserved and reduced ejection fraction, using diuretics to modify total blood volume in order to control cardiac pressures. Interatrial shunting could supplement current therapies by providing a novel therapeutic approach that specifically regulates cardiac pressures and volumes. The V-Wave approach is physiologically validated and self-regulating, meaning that as left atrial pressure rises, the amount of shunting increases and this shift of volume from left to right atrium then lowers left atrial pressure with the intent of improving patient symptoms and clinical outcomes.”

Dr. Abraham earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in cardiology and heart failure / cardiac transplantation at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Previously at The Ohio State University, Dr. Abraham also served as Deputy Director of Ohio State’s Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Associate Dean for Clinical Research, and Medical Director of the Clinical Trials Management Office at the Medical Center. While stepping down from his Division Director and other leadership positions, Dr. Abraham will maintain his academic title as Professor of Internal Medicine, Physiology, and Cell Biology, so he may continue to participate in patient care and scholarly activities at the University.

About V-Wave Ltd.
V-Wave is a privately held medical device company with offices in Israel and the U.S. For more information, please visit www.vwavemedical.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements related to clinical development and potential regulatory approval of V-Wave’s products. All forward-looking statements and other information included in this press release are based on information available to V-Wave as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or information. The company’s actual results could differ materially from those described in the company’s forward-looking statements.

CAUTION: The V-Wave Interatrial Shunt System is under clinical investigation and is not available for sale in the United States or other countries.

Contact

Murtaza Mogri, PhD
murtaza@vwavemedical.com
818-629-2164

SOURCE V-Wave Ltd.

Related Links
http://www.vwavemedical.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/william-t-abraham-md-joins-v-wave-as-chief-medical-officer-300810954.html