Monarch BioImplants’ assets acquired by US company

Monarch Bioimplants is a Luzern based biomedical startup developing a revolutionary chitosan membrane supporting the healing process of damaged peripheral nerves. Its solution NeuroShield is an FDA-cleared biosynthetic peripheral nerve regeneration technology designed from naturally occurring chitosan, a non-protein, resorbable, material that has been used successfully for more than 20 years in a variety of medical applications worldwide.

The implant is surgically placed over the damaged nerve to provide protection and connection as the nerve heals, preventing further nerve damage and accelerating recovery. A polysaccharide widely used in biomedical applications, chitosan is fully absorbed by the surrounding tissue with no side effects.

It is currently available in the United States, and thanks to its €20 investment from GEM Global Yield LLC SCS, the implant made its way into Israel and South Africa. NeuroShield was also recently recognized as the 2021 Nerve Wrap Innovation of the Year by Global Health & Pharma’s annual Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards.

US-based company takes over Neuroshield
In March 2021, Checkpoint Surgical Inc, a privately held medical device company based in Cleveland, Ohio acquired NeuroShield Chitosan Nerve Wrap to expand its intraoperative nerve care product line with the introduction. The NeuroShield Wrap marks Checkpoint’s first product in a planned line of chitosan-based biological implants to support nerve healing. This addition complements Checkpoint Surgical’s existing product portfolio, including the company’s flagship Checkpoint Nerve Stimulator/Locator, the leading nerve stimulation device for intraoperative nerve protection and repair.

In line with the acquisition, Monarch’s founders, Thomas Freier and Rivelino Montenegro, have joined the Checkpoint team. “We are pleased to welcome Freier and Montenegro, two of the world’s foremost experts on chitosan technology, to our team,” said Len Cosentino, CEO of Checkpoint Surgical.

“With its deep expertise in peripheral nerve repair, strong nerve surgeon customer base, and specialized sales force, we found Checkpoint Surgical to be the ideal partner to help us realize our vision for chitosan in nerve repair,” said Monarch CEO Montenegro.

(Press release/RAN)