CVRx® Names Philippe Wanstok Chief Commercial Officer

MINNEAPOLIS, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CVRx, Inc., a privately-held medical device company, has appointed Philippe Wanstok to the newly created position of Chief Commercial Officer, effective July 16, 2012.  In this role, Mr. Wanstok will have worldwide responsibility for the commercial launch of CVRx's Barostim neo™ product.  CVRx has received CE Mark approval for the Barostim neo and it is currently available in Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria.

"We are thrilled to have Philippe join the CVRx team," said Nadim Yared, President and CEO of CVRx. "Philippe's consistently superb track record of accomplishments in the active implantable medical device market makes him ideally suited to lead CVRx's worldwide commercial activities."

Wanstok brings 20 years of medical device experience to CVRx.  Most recently, he served as the International General Manager of Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management – Commercial Operations at Medtronic, leading an international team of 3,000 colleagues generating more than $2.4 billion of revenues in active implantable devices. 

Wanstok began his career with Medtronic in France, where he helped establish and build the CRDM business. He also worked at Guidant, where he served in a variety of management roles during which he established successful country and regional operations in France and Spain, built highly capable sales organizations and developed strong distribution networks. After Guidant's merger with Boston Scientific, Wanstok served as Vice President of International Marketing for Boston Scientific, where he established and launched marketing strategies for all international geographies.

"The Barostim neo is an unparalleled technology for treating hypertension and heart failure," said Wanstok. "I am very excited to join CVRx to lead the commercial activities for this unique, game-changing therapy."

Wanstok holds a Masters degree in Economics from the Universite Paris-Assas and a doctorate in Finance and International Marketing from the Univesite Paris-Sobonne.

Barostim neo Therapy

The Barostim neo uses CVRx-patented technology that is designed to trigger the body's own natural blood flow regulation system to treat hypertension and heart failure. The system works by electrically activating the baroreceptors, the body's natural blood pressure sensors that regulate cardiovascular function. These baroreceptors are located on the carotid artery. When activated by the Barostim neo, signals are sent through neural pathways to the brain, which responds by telling the:

• Arteries to relax, making it easier for blood to flow through the body and reducing cardiac exertion;
• Heart to slow down, allowing more time for the organ to fill with blood; and
• Kidneys to reduce fluid in the body, lowering both excessive blood pressure and workload on the heart.

The Barostim neo can be adjusted to meet each patient's individual therapy needs, making it the only CE Mark-approved, personalized medical device therapy for the treatment of hypertension.

About Hypertension

In Europe, hypertension affects an estimated 40 percent of adults, or 154 million people(1) , and in the United States, hypertension affects 76.4 million people.(2) Worldwide, hypertension is estimated to cause one in every eight deaths.(2)  It is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, morbidity and mortality. Twenty-five percent of people with hypertension cannot adequately control their hypertension with medications and lifestyle modifications.(3),(4)   It is a disease that needs new treatment solutions.

About Heart Failure

In heart failure, heart function is impaired, resulting in shortness of breath, exercise intolerance and fluid retention. In the United States, heart failure is estimated to affect 5.7 million adults. Overall, heart failure is associated with a four-fold increased risk in death and a six to nine times increased risk of sudden cardiac death. The direct and indirect costs of heart failure are estimated to reach $44.6 billion annually in the United States by 2015.(2)

About CVRx

CVRx, Inc. is a privately-held company that is headquartered in Minneapolis. The company has developed the Barostim neo for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart failure. For more information, visit www.cvrx.com.

Footnotes:

(1) Estimated based on data from Dymedex Consulting

(2) Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics. American Heart Association – 2012 Update.

(3) Prospective Studies Collaboration. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet 2002;360:1903-1913.

(4) Chobian AV. JAMA 2003;289:2560-2572.

Caution: In the United States, CVRx Barostim neo is an investigational device and is limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use only.

CVRx and Barostim neo are trademarks of CVRx, Inc.

© CVRx, Inc. 2012. All rights reserved.

www.cvrx.com

SOURCE CVRx, Inc.