Thomas M. Krummel, MD Joins Silicon Valley Innovations, Inc. Board of Directors

The company's innovative drug delivery system is poised to disrupt nasal and feminine healthcare markets 

SILICON VALLEY, Calif., March 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Valley Innovations (SVI) announced today that Thomas M. Krummel, MD, an internationally acclaimed surgeon, former Chair of the Department of Surgery at Stanford University, and med-tech innovator, has joined the company's Board of Directors.

Krummel recently received the 2023 Jacobson Innovation Award from the American College of Surgeons, the highest honor nationwide in Surgery, for his pioneering "life-saving advances in newborn life support" and a 40 year career as an innovator in Surgery.   He has also served as Director of the Byers Center for Biodesign at Stanford, and most recently, Krummel has joined Santé Ventures in Austin, Texas.

"We're very fortunate to have Dr. Krummel joining us at SVI," says CEO and Founder of SVI, Gail Lebovic, MD. "We share a vision for the future of medicine that includes creating clinically relevant medical technology and placing it into the hands of patients."

Dr. Krummel sees major potential clinical benefits and market opportunities for SVI's offerings. "The consumer markets are ripe for innovation," he explains. "Limited physician access is driving a new era of self-care, and experienced development teams like SVI can bring simple but elegant solutions that will make a real difference in the lives of millions of people."

Both Dr. Krummel and Dr. Lebovic believe that SVI is positioned to be in the vanguard of this trend towards higher rates of self-care. As people find it increasingly difficult to see a physician, "people are spending more time and money to stay healthy and get symptom relief with over-the-counter products," explains Dr. Lebovic.

SVI is creating a series of such OTC products for nasal and feminine healthcare. The company's key innovation is a drug delivery system anatomically designed for specific areas of the body, such as the nose or the vaginal area. The system, consisting of a wand combined with physician-formulated gels, is used to cleanse, moisturize, and address symptomatic issues.

"The nose and vagina have been overlooked when it comes to addressing acute and chronic conditions," explains Lebovic.  "We are very excited about meeting this clinical need with products that are proprietary, easy and comfortable to use, and first to market." 

SVI's flagship product to hit the consumer market is NasoClenz™, a nasal cleansing kit available since mid-2023 on Amazon and in select pharmacies such as Ingles. The applicator and gel together help to remove particles, reduce germs, and clean other substances from the nostrils.  A recent study presented at the 2023 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI), showed an 84% reduction in severe allergy symptoms in a group of agricultural workers from the Central Valley of California. In the study, NasoClenz was used just twice a day – before and after work. More than 70% of the workers also reported significant reductions in respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath.

NasoClenz was named as #1 Notable Product in May 2023 by the Hamacher Resource Group (HRG), and customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. One satisfied user reported that the product is "like heaven on a stick" because of the relief she experienced. "We've been overwhelmed by the positive feedback," says Dr. Lebovic.

Lebovic emphasizes that NasoClenz is just the first product in SVI's planned pipeline, given the technology's flexibility in delivering a variety of different drugs. While NasoClenz uses an antiseptic gel to clean and moisturize, next will come more powerful medications that have the potential to address respiratory illnesses and other acute and chronic issues.

Together, these uses offer a significant market potential for SVI. "In the US alone, there are about 155 million consumers buying OTC products for nasal relief," says Dr. Lebovic. "Clearly this is a large, healthy opportunity for us."

SVI plans to use the same stepwise strategy in rolling out its feminine healthcare products. Looking to disrupt the women's healthcare market, the company plans to address common conditions that have no other current innovative solution, such as bacterial vaginosis, fungal infections, and other symptomatic conditions that specifically plague women.

For both nasal and feminine healthcare, the goal is to provide patients with a comfortable and convenient drug delivery system that can be used for OTC and ultimately prescription medications as well.

"We've created high-quality clinically relevant products that offer easy, effective, and comfortable ways to take better care of yourself," says Dr. Lebovic. "I have no doubt that Dr. Krummel will play a pivotal role in our company's success."

Adds Dr. Krummel: "As a surgeon, SVI's ability to create novel products that improve patients' lives with comfortable and convenient products really resonates with me.  Their physician-led team is a force to be reckoned with.  They have an enviable track record and I'm excited to accomplish great things with them."

About Dr. Thomas Krummel
Thomas Krummel, MD, FACS, FAAP, is Emeritus Co-Director at the Byers Center for Biodesign and Emile Holman Professor Emeritus for the Department of Surgery in Stanford University's School of Medicine. He is also Chairman of the Board at Fogarty Innovation in Mountain View, CA, and is a venture partner at Santé Ventures in Austin, TX. For more than 35 years, Dr. Krummel has been a surgeon, innovator, educator, and leader, and has taught medtech invention to teams of doctors, engineers, and business professionals. He received the 2020 William E. Ladd Medal, the highest honor nationwide in pediatric surgery, and the 2023 Jacobson Innovation Award from the American College of Surgeons for pioneering "life-saving advances in newborn life support."

About Silicon Valley Innovations
Silicon Valley Innovations' mission is to create technologic solutions that help people lead happier, healthier lives. The company was founded by Dr. Gail Lebovic, one of Silicon Valley's most successful woman entrepreneurs, having founded or co-founded multiple medical technology companies whose innovations have gone on to become standard of care and are currently marketed by leading healthcare companies. Dr. Lebovic is also a surgeon and internationally recognized expert on breast reconstruction and surgical options for cancer, with more than three decades of experience in the medical device industry. Dr. Lebovic and her team are committed to creating unique devices that solve significant health problems and improve lives. To learn more about Silicon Valley Innovations, visit svi-inc.com.

Contact: Liz Dowling, (415) 388-2794
Dowling & Dennis PR
[email protected]

SOURCE Silicon Valley Innovations