Three Med Device Companies Go Public This Week
January 31, 2015
By Andrew Hoglund

This was a good week for the medical device world as three companies have gone public. The medical device companies that went public were Entellus Medical, Presbia, and Avinger. Entellus Medical and Avinger have done well so far, but Presbia is having a bit of a rough time.

Entellus Medical focuses on providing solutions for the minimally invasive treatment of chronic and recurrent sinusitis patients. Their IPO priced at $17, the top of its proposed range, and they sold 4.6 million shares to raise $78 million. Then to top it off, their shares have risen 23% to $21. Entellus’s current goal is to convince physicians to use its FDA-cleared balloon sinus dilation products for routine physician office treatment of patients who have been unable to effectively manage their chronic sinusitis using therapeutics.

Presbia develops the Presbia Flexivue Microlens, an implanted lens that helps correct presbyopia. Presbyopia is the progressive inability of the eye to focus on near objects as a person ages. Unfortunately Presbia did not fare as well on the market as Entellus did. Presbia was hoping for a range of $11-$13 for its stocks, but they eventually priced at $10. They sold 4.2 million shares, raising $42 million. As of today, their shares have fallen to $6.51.

Avinger, developer of next-generation catheter-based technologies for the treatment of peripheral artery disease, fared much better on the market than Presbia did. Avinger raised $65 million, selling 5 million shares at a price of $13 per share. After a day of trading, the stock is up to $13.50 a share. Avinger has a suite of catheters and an imaging console allowing physicians to penetrate arterial blockages. Their top product, the Ocelot, features real-time intravascular imaging, a shapeable tip, and optimized flute configuration.

Entellus Medical and Avinger both did fairly well on the market this week, raising over $140 million between the two companies. Presbia made it on to the market, but has not done quite as well. However, it is good to see three new companies go public in the medical device field.