Rithim Biologics®, Inc.
A Gene Therapy Company
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- Founded in March 2016, Rithim Biologics® is a privately held, early stage startup company developing gene therapies, delivery instruments, and kits to prevent/reduce tachyarrhythmias (fast heart rates) in humans.
- Atrial Fibrillation (AF) affects 30 million people worldwide.
- AF is an abnormally fast, chaotic rhythm which can be debilitating. It compromises blood flow to the body increasing the risks for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and death.
- AF develops soon after a cardiac surgery procedure in approximately 30-40% of patients. This is referred to as Post-Operative AF or POAF.1,2
- Approximately 1.2 M patients undergo CABG and/or heart valve surgeries annually in the world.3,4
- POAF delays a patient’s hospital discharge by an average of 2 days at an additional cost of $ 16,000.
- POAF adds an additional annual healthcare burden of approximately $ 3 B in the US and $ 7 B in the world.
- Utilizing gene therapies, our initial efforts are targeting POAF.
1 Mathew JP, Fontes ML, Tudor IC, Ramsay J, Duke P, Mazer CD, Barash PG, Hsu PH, Mangano DT. A Multicenter Risk Index for Atrial Fibrillation. After Cardiac Surgery JAMA, April 14, 2004—Vol 291, No. 14 p. 172
2 Tanawuttiwat T, et al. New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation After Aortic Valve Replacement – Comparison of Transfemoral, Transapical, Transaortic, and Surgical Approaches. JACC, April 22, 2014 – Vol 63, No. 15 p.1510
3 Filardo G , Damiano RJ Jr , Ailawadi G , Thourani VH , Pollock BD , Sass DM , Phan TK , Nguyen H , da Graca B. Epidemiology of new-onset atrial fibrillation following coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Heart. 2018 Jan 11.
4 Calculations based on Business Reports from Star Tribune, Medtronic Earnings , American Heart Association