CoapTech Granted European Patent for PUMA Technology
United States Patent Application Currently Under Review
BALTIMORE (June 13, 2018) – CoapTech, an early-stage medical device company developing its PUMA platform technology, was granted a patent for its core intellectual property by the European Patent Office. This patent is valid in 40 European nations.
“This patent is a major step forward for CoapTech as we continue developing uses for the PUMA System and plan to offer our devices internationally,” said CoapTech co-founder Howard Carolan. “This technology can increase patient safety and improve the overall care experience while driving down medical costs. This will be attractive to the medical community around the world.”
PUMA (Point-of-care Ultrasound Magnet Aligned) is a platform technology that allows clinicians to visualize critical tissue around hollow organs, enabling minimally-invasive procedures guided by ultrasound to maximize patient safety. PUMA uniquely leverages rare-earth magnets for positioning and placement. The European Patent Office granted a patent for the company’s novel class of medical catheters; the technology is patent pending in the United States.
The first use of the technology in the field will be a medical device that non-surgical providers can use to safely perform feeding tube placement at the bedside through a procedure termed PUG (Percutaneous Ultrasound Gastrostomy). PUG is minimally invasive and more cost-effective compared to traditional feeding tube placement procedures which can require specialists, greater levels of sedation, and use of operating rooms.
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About CoapTech
CoapTech, founded by Steve Tropello, MD, MS and Howard Carolan, MPH, MBA, is an early stage medical device company based in Baltimore, Md. that owns the PUMA platform. PUMA (Point-of-care Ultrasound Magnet Aligned) seeks to disrupt multiple medical procedures, substantially reducing costs while improving patient safety and experience. The platform’s first manifestation is PUMA-G for gastrostomies, which has a streamlined regulatory pathway based on FDA presubmission feedback. The company expects to receive FDA clearance via the standard 510(k) pathway without clinical studies. CoapTech was named 2018 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year for Best Medical Device Company.