Image Credit: Comphya
Comphya is a company based in Lausanne, Switzerland developing a system for the treatment of erectile disorder due to spinal cord injury or prostatectomy.
The CaverSTIM System is based on the Algovita Platform which was acquired by Cirtec when Nuvectra declared bankruptcy.
The IPG provides self-controlled stimulation (via a wireless remote control) to the cavernous nerve to restore natural erectile function. According to Comphya, their innovation has a key element which can overcome a major barrier for the therapy, the complex anatomy of the neural path for erection, and it can guarantee the identification of the site for stimulation within the pelvic cavity. Comphya has tested this in an acute clinical trial (J Sex Med. 2018 Nov;15(11):1558-1569).
Their first implant took place in August 2023 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In October of 2023, the device was first implanted in a spinal cord injury patient at Hospital Mario Covas in Brazil. More recently, in August 2024 Comphya announced that it had received approval from the Brazilian National Research Ethics Committees (CEP and CONEP) and the federal regulatory authority ANVISA to initiate a pilot clinical trial in patients undergoing prostatectomy.
Image Credit: Comphya