VentureBeat

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

• Boston Scientific spinout TriVascular2 takes in $65M (release)
• Inhaled-drug startup Transave raises $35M (release)
• Triage Wireless gets $20M for vital-signs monitors (release)
• Tryton Medical receives $14M for “bifurcation” stents (release)
  
• Synthetic bio startup Codon Devices adds $11M (release)
• Tracon Pharma takes in $4.5M against cancer and eye disease (VentureWire)
• Antibody maker f-star swaps in equity stake by TVM (PDF release)
• Drug packager MonoSol Rx withdraws IPO (IPOhome)
• GE Healthcare acquires portable-ventilator maker VersaMed (release)

Boston Scientific spinout TriVascular2 takes in $65M – In 2005, Boston Scientific acquired a Santa Rosa, Calif., medical-device startup called TriVascular. Today, it spun it out once again.

The newly private startup raised $65 million in a “first” funding round from the likes of MPM Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Delphi Ventures and Kearny Venture Partners. Thirty million dollars of that sum went straight to Boston Scientific, which also retains the right to take a minority stake in the company.

TriVascular’s original CEO, Michael Chobotov, will resume that position at the new company, joined by two other TriVascular founders. It’s not, however, entirely clear what TriVascular will be doing. The company was originally focused on repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, which are unusual swellings of blood vessels that can rupture unexpectedly, often fatally. Boston Scientific, however, shut down its aneurysm-repair business in 2006, so it’s not immediately obvious that the reborn TriVascular will jump right back in.

Inhaled-drug startup Transave raises $35M – Transave, a Monmouth, N.J., biotech working on inhaled drugs for lung disease, raised $35 million in a fourth funding round. Investors included Quaker BioVentures, Bessemer Venture Partners, TVM Capital, Prospect Venture Partners, Fidelity Biosciences, Forbion Capital Partners and Easton Capital.

The startup is working on inhalable drugs for cystic fibrosis — in particular, a long-lasting form of the antibiotic amikacin, which is currently in mid-stage, phase II human testing. Transave had previously raised $58 million in venture capital, including a “recently completed” $40 million round.

Triage Wireless gets $20M for vital-signs monitors – Triage Wireless, a San Diego medical-device maker, raised $20.3 million in a second funding round. Investors included Qualcomm Ventures, Sanderling Ventures, 3i Group and Intel Capital.

Triage is developing wireless vital-signs monitors for long-term or continuous use. Its first product is a blood-pressure sensor that doesn’t require the old familiar inflated cuff.

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

• Teva acquires protein-therapeutic maker CoGenesys for $400M (release)
• ViewRay takes in $25M for MRI radiation-therapy guidance (release)
• NovaMed, Chinese clinical-research outfit, receives $14M (release)
• Progentix Ortho raises first funding round (release)
• Medical imaging co. Point Biomedical recaps with $25M (VentureWire)
• Lumidigm takes in $7M for optical-fingerprint ID systems (VW)
• Medical-software co. Compressus aims to close $14M round (VW)
• Channel Medical Partners aims for $150M med-tech fund (VW)
• Spinal-implant maker Scient’x names Michael Huggins as CEO (release)
• Specialty pharma Cardiokine names Manuel Worcel as CEO (release)
• Respiratory-disease co. Pulmatrix appoints Robert Connelly CEO (release)

Teva acquires protein-therapeutic maker CoGenesys for $400M — CoGenesys, a Rockville, Md., protein-drug biotech spun out of Human Genome Sciences in 2006, has been acquired by Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries for $400 million in cash. The companies’ joint release is here.

CoGenesys, like its former parent HGS, is focused on the development of protein and peptide drugs for a variety of conditions. The company’s two lead drug candidates aim to treat neutropenia, a depletion of white blood cells that puts people at risk of serious infection, and heart failure.

Teva said the acquisition advances its recently revised strategic goal of pursuing biotech drugs (”biopharmaceuticals”) and generic biologics (”biogenerics”). It’s not entirely clear whether Teva is interested in pursuing CoGenesys’ actual drug pipeline or simply putting its manufacturing technology to use in Teva’s existing international biogenerics business. No biogenerics have been approved for use in the U.S.

ViewRay takes in $25M for MRI radiation-therapy guidance — Gainesville, Fla.-based ViewRay, a developer of MRI-based cancer-radiation systems, raised $25 million in a second funding round. Investors included OrbiMed Advisors, Fidelity Biosciences, Aisling Capital and Kearny Venture Partners.

ViewRay claims its system will be the first to offer real-time “volumetric” imaging of tumors concurrent with radiation treatment, which ostensibly allows radiation oncologists to compensate for organ movement. The funding will go for additional staff and the manufacture and validation of advanced prototypes of the system. Our previous coverage of the company is here.

NovaMed, Chinese clinical-research outfit, receives $14M — NovaMed, a Chinese startup that performs outsourced commercial and clinical-trial management for Chinese and international drug companies, raised $13.8 million in a second funding round. Investors included Fidelity Asia Ventures, its US affiliate, Fidelity Biosciences, and Atlas Venture.

Founded in 2005 by a former AstraZeneca executive and a Chinese Internet entrepreneur, NovaMed essentially acts as a middleman for companies with drugs they’d like to sell or test in China. Depending on the client, NovaMed says it will do everything from running clinical trials and shepherding drugs through the Chinese regulatory process to manufacturing, distributing and selling pharmaceuticals.

The company had previously raised roughly $6 million. NovaMed said it will use the new funding to expand its operations and also to in-license new drugs for deveopment or sale in China.

Lumidigm takes in $7M for optical-fingerprint ID systems — Lumidigm, an Albuquerque, N.M., developer of multispectral fingerprint scanners, raised $7 million in a third funding round, VentureWire reports, citing a regulatory filing. Investors included Epic Ventures led the round, joined by new investor Sun Mountain Capital and existing investors Fort Washington Capital Partners, Motorola Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson New England and Intel Capital. Lumidigm’s technology aims to read fingerprint information both from the skin surface and from subsurface layers to improve accuracy and foil attempts to spoof the technology.

Medical-software co. Compressus aims to close $14M round — Compressus, a Washington, D.C., software maker whose products link hospitals and doctors to government agencies for public-health monitoring and emergency response, is looking for an additional $1.3 million to close out a $14.3 million third funding round, VentureWire reports. The company, which was founded by three lobbyists, has so far raised more than $27 million from angel investors.

Channel Medical Partners aims for $150M med-tech fund — Channel Medical Partners, a Skokie, Ill., VC firm focused on medical-device investments, aims to raise a $150 million second fund, VentureWire reports. The new fund would be more than triple the size of its $40 million initial fund, raised in 2001. Channel aims to fund 12 to 15 startups with the new cash, and will concentrate on device firms, although it is open to investing in diagnostics, drug delivery and “specialty supply” companies as well.