Calyxo Expands Board of Directors as Number of Patients Treated with its CVAC® System Crosses 20,000 Milestone
-- Dana G. Mead, Jr. brings 30 years of expertise in product strategy, development and commercialization to the Calyxo boardroom, as the company marks its next stage of growth.
-- More than 20,000 patients have been treated with the CVAC System, underscoring the increasing adoption of the SURE procedure and its impact in kidney stone care.
Calyxo, Inc., a medical device company advancing innovative solutions for kidney stone treatment, marked key milestones as adoption of the steerable ureteroscopic renal evacuation (SURE) procedure using the company's CVAC System continues to accelerate. The company has appointed Dana G. Mead, Jr. to its board of directors, and it has reached more than 20,000 patients treated to date with the CVAC System, further establishing the technology as a new standard in kidney stone care.
Mead brings four decades of medical device operating and investing experience to the Calyxo Board. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Inspire Medical Systems (NYSE:INSP), Pulmonx (NASDAQ:LUNG), and several commercial-stage private companies. He was a board member of Intersect ENT (NASDAQ:ENT) prior to its acquisition by Medtronic in 2021, and of Inari Medical (NASDAQ:NARI) prior to Stryker's acquisition of the company earlier this year. Other past board appointments include Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC). From 2019 to 2021, he was President and CEO of HeartFlow (NASDAQ:HTFL). From 2016 to 2019, he was President and CEO of BVI. Prior to that, he was a Life Science Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a leading venture capital firm, and served in a series of general management roles of increasing responsibility at Guidant.
"Calyxo is at an exciting inflection point. The company's rapid growth reflects strong physician confidence and a clear need for innovation in kidney stone care. I'm inspired by the team's commitment to advancing patient outcomes and look forward to helping guide this next chapter of growth as the company continues to scale," said Mead.
"Dana will be an asset to our board. We value his extensive and broad experience across public and private medtech companies of all sizes as we continue to experience positive momentum and growing adoption of the CVAC System," said Joe Catanese, CEO of Calyxo. "Reaching the significant milestone of 20,000 patients treated shows that more physicians are embracing the SURE procedure with the CVAC System, which is designed to achieve greater kidney stone clearance, and marks an important inflection point in Calyxo's growth story."
Data presented last month at the 42nd World Congress of Endourology and Uro-Technology (WCET) in Phoenix, Ariz. showed the second-generation CVAC System is safe and effective at removing stones, with a mean stone clearance from 94-96%.1 Two-year data from the landmark ASPIRE study showed treatment with SURE using the company's CVAC System resulted in 73% fewer healthcare consumption events (such as emergency room visits, hospitalizations or retreatment*) compared to standard ureteroscopy (URS).2 The study demonstrated residual stone volume was the only significant predictor of post-procedure healthcare consumption events, besides age. This growing body of evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of the CVAC System is encouraging more urologists to adopt the technology in their practices.
"The SURE procedure using the second-generation CVAC System has changed the way I care for patients with kidney stones. Now I can achieve greater stone clearance with fewer complications and follow-up interventions. For patients with moderate to large stone burden, the SURE procedure can achieve this less invasively than other procedures. For patients, that means faster recoveries, fewer emergency department visits, less need for a repeat procedure, and less invasive surgical techniques," said Michelle Jo Semins, MD of West Virginia University Medicine. "The CVAC System has become an invaluable part of my treatment approach. Calyxo's commitment to innovation gives physicians like me the confidence that we are providing the best possible care today -- and helping define where kidney stone treatment is headed. This is one of the biggest advancements in surgical stone treatment in decades."
References:
1. Eisner et al. MP16: 17 Prospective Evaluation of Steerable Ureteroscopic Renal Evacuation with the Second-Generation CVAC® Aspiration System: Findings from the CLEARANCE Study. Conference Presentation, WCET 2025.
2. Stern et al. MP16: 01 Steerable ureteroscopic renal evacuation reduces the risk of healthcare consumption events at 2 years compared to standard ureteroscopy (URS). Conference Presentation, WCET 2025.
* Limited to retreatments likely due to residual stones at the end of the procedure.
About Kidney Stones
According to the American Urological Association, approximately 10% of people in the U.S. will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives. Kidney stone disease is a painful condition that can result in significant healthcare costs (Current Urology Reports estimates $4.1 billion in annual direct treatment costs by 2030).
About the CVAC System
The CVAC System was FDA-cleared in 2024 and enables a minimally invasive approach for kidney stone clearance. It is an all-in-one solution designed to efficiently and effectively remove kidney stones. It uses irrigation and vacuum aspiration to continuously clear stone fragments during and after laser lithotripsy, enabling physicians to achieve a stone-free outcome.
About Calyxo, Inc.
Calyxo, Inc. is an innovation-driven medical device company focused on improving care for patients with kidney stones by delivering paradigm-shifting solutions that enable urologists to safely, effectively and efficiently achieve unrivaled clinical outcomes. Learn more at calyxoinc.com.
"CVAC" and "Calyxo" are registered trademarks of Calyxo, Inc.
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Alyssa Paldo
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