Shanghai Start-Up United InnoMed to Launch AI-Driven Heart Failure Device in Hong Kong

United InnoMed, a Shanghai-based medical device start-up, plans to collaborate with Hong Kong’s medical institutions to conduct clinical studies for its artificial intelligence-driven device aimed at treating and managing heart failure. The company’s innovative device targets chronic heart failure patients and combines both therapeutic and diagnostic functions in one unit. This “two-in-one” approach is designed to reduce the risks and costs associated with implanting two separate devices, which is the norm in many current treatment scenarios. Founder and CEO Wang Li explained that many heart failure patients in China are open to implanting a therapeutic device but are typically opposed to having a separate device for real-time monitoring.

Wang compared their product to smartphones, emphasizing how, like the evolution of phones, the new device aims to integrate multiple functions into a single unit. Currently, only two implantable monitoring devices have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for daily home monitoring of pulmonary pressure. Wang noted that Hong Kong is an obvious choice for United InnoMed’s clinical studies due to the positive experience he has had collaborating with local clinicians in the past.

Founded in 2020, United InnoMed raised US$20 million in a pre-Series B funding round last month, led by Dalton Venture and Lapam Capital. Lilly Asia Ventures, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly, also participated in the funding. The funds will support product development and clinical trials. The company has already completed 40 animal tests and is working toward gaining regulatory approval from Beijing to begin human clinical studies by the end of the year. These studies will focus on demonstrating the device’s efficacy and safety. The device is designed to send real-time data for early medical intervention, potentially reducing hospitalizations.

United InnoMed is also developing a separate device for electrical circulatory support, which uses electric stimuli to improve heart muscle contractions in patients prone to acute heart failure. Heart failure, a condition caused by factors such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, affects around 64 million people globally, with China home to 15 million patients. Wang emphasized that his company’s device has shown promise in reducing hospitalizations by 40-50% and lowering death rates by 25%, based on clinical data from 2,500 cases.

United InnoMed plans to further its studies with hundreds of patients in China to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

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