Strategic partnership forms to scale up international production of ventilators

IPM Group, an infratech asset manager in Europe, has partnered with Chirana Medical, Ximedica, and NDA Partners, to rapidly increase the production of the proprietary ICU lung ventilator, Aura V.

Each organisation offers something unique to the consortium. IPM Group specialises in scaling up technologies rapidly, Ximedica is a medical product development and manufacturing company, NDA Partners is a medical product development and regulatory strategy consultancy in North America, and Chirana Medical manufactured Aura V.

Chirana Medical has already experienced large demand for its ventilator, with inquiries for over 20,000 units received already this year. Therefore, Chirana Medical has already increased production in Europe by three times to approximately 1,200 units per annum.

As a result of the collaboration, the critical care ventilation system, Aura V, will be made more widely available to address the shortage of critical care ventilators due to Covid-19. By working together, it is thought that global production capacity of the ventilator will increase by approximately 5,000 ventilators per annum.

The Aura V ventilator is already fully approved and in use in the European Union, Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Mexico. Together, the organisations will aim to gain regulatory approvals in the U.S, Canada and other jurisdictions in Latin America, Middle East, India and other areas severely affected by the pandemic.

The proprietary technology behind Chirana’s Aura V multi-modal ventilator includes key product features such as Programmed MultiLevel Ventilation (PMLV), wireless operation options, automated operation with AI-driven adjustments resulting in constant gas flow with the highest degree of purification, advanced three-level alarm system with auto-start ventilation system and reduced exposure risk to doctors and nurses.

Jan Brkal, CEO of Chirana Medical, commented: “Everything we do is for the health of our patients and of our planet. Our products are designed to be very durable, reliable, and to have a very long lifetime (more than 100,000 moto-hours), with an important focus placed on minimising costs for operation, service, maintenance and maximising patient outcomes via personalised and non-traumatising ventilation of lungs.

“Our product’s unique features, especially the multilevel ventilation method, enable improved gas distribution to the patient. Because our own capacity is limited, we have partnered with IPM on this international project to ensure many more in the world will benefit from our sophisticated technology.”

Peter Gajdos, head of Venture Capital at IPM Group and executive chairman of IPM Chirana, added: “The world does not need more cheap ventilators; the world needs better ventilators. IPM is very proud to be a driving force behind this innovative partnership. The need to accelerate the production of the Aura V ventilators, which has already saved the lives of many, is essential in our view. We are looking forward to quickly increasing capacity to ensure a timely global impact.”

Ximedica’s president and COO, Michael Pereira, said: “Ximedica’s mission focuses on improving outcomes and enhancing lives. We are excited and proud to be partnering with a team of companies that want to make a difference with such an advanced and cost-effective ventilator design.”

Earle Martin, CEO of NDA Partners, concluded: “We are pleased to partner with IPM Group and support this important effort to address one of the public health challenges of Covid-19 and make a significant contribution to patient care and safety globally.”