Belgian value-added medicines specialist Hyloris Pharmaceuticals has bolstered its management team with the appointment of a chief operating officer, shortly after receiving eight European approvals for its Maxigesic IV pain treatment.

With the main aim of developing its existing product portfolio and pursuing business development opportunities in the US, Hyloris Pharmaceuticals has successfully raised €80m through a public listing. The company has announced its financial results for the first half of 2020.

FIRE1, an Irish start-up developing a digital remote monitoring technology for patients at risk of heart failure, has secured €40m in its biggest financing round to date. This series C brought in new European investors, including Gilde Healthcare, GIMV and Seventure.

The global market for products treating heart valve disease is expected to exceed $8bn by 2021, driven largely by the rising number of elderly patients with cardiovascular disease, obesity and growing prevalence of diabetes. This, in turn, is fueling significant innovation in minimally invasive techniques, particularly in the leading area of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), but also in transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVrep) systems, both of which offer patients quicker recovery times, less discomfort and greater safety compared to traditional surgical heart valve repair and replacement. This feature looks more closely at the competitive landscape and dynamics of these two fast-growing market segments, as well as gives insight into what the users – the physicians – think of these technologies.