EP #349 - Rodrigo Fraga-Silva: An Innovative Approach to Erectile Dysfunction
Timestamps:
1:03 - The problem of erectile dysfunction
5:38 - What Comphya can do for patients
9:26 - Doing pilot clinical trials
12:18 - Competition for true innovators
13:40 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Rodrigo Fraga-Silva:
Rodrigo Fraga-Silva is the co-founder and CEO at Comphya, a Swiss medical device company and EPFL spin-off with the mission to help patients overcome erectile dysfunction through an innovative neurostimulating implant. He holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and was previously a Postdoctoral Researcher at EPFL and scientist at the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering before starting Comphya in 2017.
The problem Comphya solves is clear: whether because of spinal cord injuries, prostatectomy (the removal of the prostate) or other causes, there is a percentage of men who struggle with erectile dysfunction, and of these men, 30% do not respond to oral drugs like Viagra. Their traditional alternatives are injections or prosthetics, both of which are painful and decrease their quality of life.
This is where Comphya comes in: the team has developed a neurostimulator which can be implanted in the patient’s pelvic floor through a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, and which responds to a wireless remote control to provide patients with self-controlled stimulation. Comphya is currently at the pilot clinical trial phase, and so far implantations have gone extremely well, with no side effects and with patients going home the next day.
Comphya is currently raising a bridge financing round through the Swisspreneur Syndicate, to fill a ticket of CHF 500K. Check out the Swisspreneur Syndicate’s deal flow page on notion to find out more.
Memorable Quotes:
"30% of the men with erectile dysfunction don’t respond to oral stimulants."
If you would like to listen to more conversations with our syndicate portfolio company founders, check out episodes 340, 342 and 345.
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