GALWAY, Ireland — Perfuze, a medical technology company specializing in next-generation catheter systems for stroke treatment, announced the successful completion of patient enrollment in its U.S. pivotal clinical trial, MARRS, and the appointment of Joe Rotger as Executive Vice President of Sales.
The MARRS (Millipede Aspiration for Revascularization in Stroke Study) trial, conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), enrolled over 180 patients across leading stroke centers in the United States and Europe. The study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Perfuze’s flagship device, the Millipede 088, an aspiration catheter designed to achieve rapid and complete clot removal in patients experiencing large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes.
“This marks a major milestone for Perfuze,” said Wayne Allen, CEO and Co-Founder of Perfuze. “With the completion of enrollment in MARRS, we’re one step closer to making the Millipede System widely available to stroke physicians in the U.S. We are thankful for the commitment of investigators, clinical teams, and most of all, the patients and their families who participated in the study.”
Dr. Raul Nogueira, Principal Investigator of the MARRS trial and Endowed Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, praised the collaborative efforts behind the study. “This trial was made possible by the dedication of clinical investigators and the courage of stroke patients and their families. The insights from MARRS will be vital in shaping the future of stroke treatment,” he said.
Alongside the clinical milestone, Perfuze announced the addition of Joe Rotger to its leadership team. Rotger brings more than 25 years of commercial leadership in the medical device industry, including senior roles at Stryker Neurovascular and Boston Scientific. He will lead the company’s commercial strategy as it continues its limited market release in the U.S.
“I’m thrilled to join Perfuze at such a pivotal time,” said Rotger. “The opportunity to bring innovative tools like the Millipede and Zipline catheters to U.S. stroke care providers is incredibly exciting, and I look forward to contributing to Perfuze’s growth and impact on patient outcomes.”
Perfuze’s product portfolio, including the FDA-cleared Millipede 088 Access Catheter, Millipede 070 Aspiration Catheter, and Zipline delivery assist catheters, is currently in limited market release in the U.S. Data from the MARRS study will support future regulatory submissions aimed at expanding the clinical indications for the Millipede System in stroke thrombectomy procedures.
