Introduction
VivoMedica is a British plc engaged in the Global Healthcare industry in the delivery of "Pharma-Ware" solutions. The number, speed of discovery and development of potential pharmaceutical compounds into successful products is one of the key drivers facing the industry. With demand for effective medicines rising at the same time as constraints being applied to healthcare costs, particularly in the area of prescribing, the industry must improve its efficiency in identifying candidates and bringing them to market as quickly as possible and increasingly to show beneficial patient outcomes. This requires major change to be effected over the next decade which fundamentally will depend on the correct application of new and disruptive technologies, supported by appropriate process redesign, in order to deliver the cost savings and shortening of the drug development life cycle. The development and application of such technology or Pharma-Ware is the heart of VivoMedica's business.
VivoMedica's initial portfolio of products is a suite of patented healthcare technologies licensed from QinetiQ, providing solutions in preclinical cardiotoxicity testing in drug development (DrugPrint®).
VivoMedica History
In July 2005 VivoMedica plc (previously known as Zi Medical PLC) acquired Oxford NewTech Ltd, a company formed by Merlin Biosciences, a broad based venture capital company, to provide a platform to acquire and commercialise the PathScore and DrugPrint® licenses from QinetiQ. The Group at this point also included Zimed Limited, an early stage medical device company. VivoMedica plc issued a Convertible Loan Note of £2.5m to Merlin biosciences in July 2006 to support the continuing development of the company. In September 2007, VivoMedica plc successfully divested the business and operations of Zimed Limited to allow greater focus on DrugPrint®. In 2009 the company successfully removed its common stock from trading on the AIM stock market in order to pursue alternative investment opportunities.
Vision:
VivoMedica is a change leading technology partner
supporting revolutionary improvements throughout the pharmaceutical
product lifecycle.
We aspire to be a world leader in addressing the critical need to
shorten the time and reduce the costs of drug discovery and development
and to ensure that patients' lives are improved through their use.
Mission:
VivoMedica identifies, sources and develops
disruptive technologies and process innovations, integrating them into
high value solutions for the pharmaceutical industry
We create value by seeking out and licensing innovative, novel and
unique technologies that have strong defendable IP. Combining our sector
expertise and scientific / regulatory capabilities with
commercialisation acumen and a strong industry network, we guide and
nurture them to a realisation of their commercial value
We aim to be the
"partner of choice" for our customers and to deliver value to
stakeholders through a lean organisation that brings high value
solutions to the pharmaceutical industry that offer clear and measurable
benefits, life cycle cost savings and outcome improvements.
Julian Demmon - Chief Executive Officer
Julian joined VivoMedica after a successful twenty year track record working for some of the world's leading Contract Research Organisations. Julian has been responsible for operational and commercial teams based in and around Europe. Julian joins VivoMedica from MDS Pharma Services where he was Vice-President, Business Development. Julian is responsible for all aspects of the R&D and commercialisation of the DrugPrint® project.
Susan Veness - Finance Director
Susan has a broad spectrum of expertise in developing businesses as their financial needs evolve. Susan brings over 20 years of finance and accounting experience in a variety of sectors, including Healthcare. Her previous experience also includes various acquisitions, flotations and disposals, debt syndication and share placings.
Tony Sackville - Commercial Director
Tony has over 25 years of sales, marketing and business development experience in Healthcare with a particular focus on Diagnostics. Tony has held a variety of senior roles including Head of Marketing and Business Development at Olympus, and has worked with a number of companies to bring products and services to market. Tony‟s recent experience also includes working with the health sector to develop new ways of working and new processes supported by Information and Communications Technology..
Dr Scott Nicol - Group Leader
Scott was awarded a PhD Biochemistry by the University of Kent and has over 10 years experience working in industrial and commercial research and development environments including consumer healthcare, medical diagnostics and scientific instrumentation in companies such as Unilever and Biacore AB. He joined the company in 2005 and is responsible for scientific leadership and management of the DrugPrint® project.
Dr Simon Bryant - Senior Scientist
Simon is an expert in cardiac electrophysiology with over 20 years experience in research investigating the physiology and pharmacology of normal and diseased heart muscle in both an academic and industrial setting. As Research Fellow at the Dept of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, his primary research focus was on electrophysiological remodelling in cardiac hypertrophy and the regional heterogeneity of ion channel function. He subsequently spent 4 years working as Research Manager for Oxford Cardiac Pharmacology Ltd, a niche CRO specialising in heart research.
Dr Richard Heal - Head of Software Development
Dr Richard Heal has 10+ years experience with biosensor technologies developing algorithms, hardware systems and complex data analysis solutions to study microelectrode array data from neuronal and cardiac sources. He has over 20 publications and is one of the original authors on the DrugPrint® patent.
Professor Sir Christopher Evans - Non-executive Chairman
Christopher Evans has been chairman of Oxford NewTech since 2004. He is also the founder
and Chairman of Merlin Biosciences Limited, one of Europe's largest venture capital firms
specialising in life sciences.
Sir Christopher is regarded as one of Europe's leading biotechnology entrepreneurs having
established twenty successful high quality science companies and floated four on the London
Stock Exchange. The businesses he has founded have achieved a combined value of €1.6
billion and employ 2,000 people.
Sir Christopher is recognised for his contribution to small businesses and entrepreneurship
throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. In addition to being voted Cambridge
Businessman of the Year twice, he has been awarded the BVCA Cartier Venturer Award for
Technology start-ups, the SCI Centenary Medal, the RSC Interdisciplinary medal, and the
Henderson Memorial Medal. He also supports small businesses through his membership and
chair of committees and trusts including the Prime Minister's Council for Science and
Technology, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, and the National
Enterprise Campaign. He has chaired a European Commission Committee for small businesses.
He has a degree in microbiology, a PhD in biochemistry and Research Fellowships in genetic
Doctor of Science (DSci) degrees in recognition of his achievements as a scientist. He has over
100 publications and patents on his scientific work.
He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honours List for services to the
bioscience industry and in the 1995 New Year's Honours List an OBE for services to
biotechnology.
Julian Demmon - Chief Executive Officer
Susan Veness - Finance Director
Alan Edwards - Non Executive Director
Alan Edwards brings to the board a wealth of experience and contacts with over 25 years in the medical devices sector both in the UK & USA. Alan is Chairman of Cardiak Ltd and Dialog Devices Ltd, he is a non-executive Director at Veryan Medical and Origami Instruments Ltd plus Chairman of the Institute of Directors in North Wales. Splitting his time between living in North East Wales and Central London Alan's appointment strengthens Zi Medical's position as a Welsh based technology Life Sciences Company and their commitment to participating in the growing high technology sector in North Wales.
Michael G Wyllie PhD - Non-Executive Director
Mike Wyllie has over 25 years of experience in senior management level positions within the pharmaceutical industry with American Home Products and Pfizer. With the latter, he was Director of Biology from 1984-1998. During this period he received a Pfizer Achievement Award for developing the world's first high throughput drug screening system. Latterly, while working with Pfizer's American Medical Systems Division he was fundamentally involved in the development of novel drug-incorporating cardiac and urinary stents, a mini autoinjector for intracavernosal injection and a self-replicating collagen implant. Subsequently, he established Urodoc Limited a strategic planning and medical education company servicing the pharmaceutical industry. In 2003 he co-founded Plethora Solutions Pic, a company specializing in IP generation, medical device design and Phase II clinical trials. Dr Wyllie is named inventor on over 80 methods of treatment, formulation and device patents.
Max Dyer Bartlett - Non-Executive Director
Max has considerable healthcare and public company experience. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Hartest Holdings PLC, a manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory equipment, and Chairman of York Pharma PLC. Max brings further healthcare experience through his consulting role at Team Consulting, a Cambridge based professional management consultancy.
