REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Dec. 10, 2014 – Heartflow Inc., a pioneer in personalized medical technology for cardiovascular disease, has named William C. Weldon a new member of its board of directors. Weldon, who previously served as chairman and CEO of global healthcare products company Johnson & Johnson, joins the company’s board following the U.S. Food and Administration de novo clearance of its non-invasive FFRCT technology for coronary artery disease.
“Bill’s long-time healthcare industry leadership, and unrivaled depth of knowledge and experience in the field, will provide substantial strategic guidance as we look to provide physicians and patients with an important new tool for coronary artery disease management,” said John H. Stevens, M.D., chairman and CEO of Heartflow. “His support of Heartflow is yet another validation of our platform technology, and his insights will be invaluable as we move towards commercialization of FFRCT.”
Weldon spent more than four decades at Johnson & Johnson, where he began his career as a sales representative, moved to roles of increasing responsibility across business segments, and ultimately led the company through significant expansion and growth as chairman and CEO. In addition to his board position at Heartflow, he currently serves on the boards of directors of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., CVS Health, Chubb Corporation and Exxon Mobile Corporation; and the board of trustees of Quinnipiac University.
“Treatment alternatives for coronary artery disease have significantly improved over recent years, but current diagnostic tests leave considerable room for improvement, in both their accuracy and ability to inform the right next step for each patient,” Weldon said. “Heartflow is well positioned to address this unmet need, while meeting its goal of improving outcomes, reducing costs and offering a better patient experience.“
Non-invasive tests are widely used as a first-line method to diagnose coronary artery disease, but studies have shown a need to improve their accuracy. A study conducted by Duke University investigators and published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that fewer than 38 percent of patients who underwent elective invasive cardiac catheterization and angiography were found to have obstructive coronary artery lesions, even though non-invasive testing had been performed on 84 percent of those patients.1
Heartflow FFRCT is the first and only non-invasive imaging technology for coronary artery disease to offer insight on both the extent of the blockage, as well as whether it is impacting blood flow, two vital pieces of information physicians need to develop a treatment plan that is right for a patient.
About Heartflow Inc.
Heartflow Inc. is a personalized medical technology company dedicated to transforming the way cardiovascular disease is managed. Committed to improving outcomes, reducing costs and creating a better patient experience, Heartflow’s goal is to provide healthcare professionals with actionable knowledge about each patient by combining best-in-class, non-invasive healthcare imaging with advanced, computational fluid dynamics technology and the insights of big data.
Heartflow’s non-invasive FFRCT technology helps physicians diagnose coronary artery disease and provides them with information they need to manage each patient. For more information visit www.Heartflow.com.
- Patel, M. et al. N Engl J Med 2010;362:886-95