Shockwave Medical (Nasdaq: SWAV) announced today that it appointed Dr. Nick West as its new associate chief medical officer.
West’s appointment marks the start of an eventual transition. He reports to the current CMO, Dr. Keith Dawkins, with intentions to succeed Dawkins in mid-2024.
“Dr. West brings to Shockwave a wealth of expertise in the interventional cardiology space,” said Dawkins. “Having known Nick for many years, I am confident that his expertise will be highly influential in further developing intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) as the standard of care for calcium modification, and will also be a valued asset in the evaluation and development of novel transformational technologies to augment our portfolio in the years to come.”
West joins Shockwave after serving as CMO and divisional VP of global medical affairs at Abbott Vascular for four years. Before Abbott, West served as an attending cardiologist in the U.K.
“There is no denying the exceptional job Shockwave has done to generate significant momentum behind IVL in a relatively short period of time. I am extremely excited to utilize everything I have learned from my time both in industry and previously as an interventional cardiologist to help continue to propel Shockwave forward as one of the most innovative players in the cardiovascular space,” West said. “I look forward to contributing to the company’s mission of developing exceptional solutions to revolutionize treatments for underserved patient populations.”
More about Shockwave and IVL
Shockwave Medical aims to transform the treatment of calcified cardiovascular disease. It seeks to establish a new standard of care for the interventional treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Shockwave offers differentiated and proprietary local delivery of sonic pressure waves for the treatment of calcified plaque.
The company designed its minimally invasive, easy-to-use, safe treatment to improve patient outcomes. IVL safely modifies calcium while significantly reducing the risk of complications. It makes procedures more predictable and efficient.
A company with high upside, reports from Bloomberg earlier this year suggested potential acquisition interest from Boston Scientific. Later reports the following month linked Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson with interest in buying the company.
Last month, the company announced an upsized offering worth $650 million as it looks to advance its IVL platform.
“[West’s] expertise in intravascular imaging will be especially beneficial to many Shockwave IVL customers as the use of imaging continues to increase, and, as a result, there arises a greater appreciation for the presence and diverse morphology of cardiovascular calcium,” Dawkins added.
