What Uptake Medical does

Uptake Medical Technology, Inc. is a privately held medical device company and subsidiary of Broncus Holding Company that develops the InterVapor System for Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA). The company was originally founded in 2005 as Uptake Medical Corp; its assets were acquired by Broncus Holding Company in August 2016, and a new entity, Uptake Medical Technology, Inc., was formed and is headquartered in San Jose, California with a European subsidiary (Uptake Medical B.V.) in the Netherlands.

The InterVapor System delivers heated pure water vapor through a bronchoscope to ablate diseased lung tissue in a non-surgical, non-implant procedure that typically takes less than 15 minutes under light sedation. BTVA is used for lung volume reduction in patients with severe emphysema (GOLD stage III and IV) and, in clinical development, for bronchoscopic ablation of peripheral lung tumors in patients ineligible for surgical resection. The technology is protected by six US patents and a portfolio of registered trademarks, and clinical efficacy is supported by the STEP-UP randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, which demonstrated a 14.7% improvement in FEV1 at 6 months and sustained 12.8% improvement at 12 months across 6 countries and 13 hospital sites.

Uptake Medical generates revenue through direct sales of the InterVapor system hardware and associated consumables to hospitals and clinical centers. The company holds CE Mark and TGA approvals enabling commercial sales in European countries and Australia, with planned expansion into Asian markets. The InterVapor System has not yet received FDA approval for US commercialization but has been granted FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for severe emphysema, and BTVA was included in the 2019 GOLD Clinical Guidelines as a recognized lung volume reduction therapy. The company employs 11-50 people and operates a focused enterprise field-sales motion targeting tertiary care centers capable of performing advanced bronchoscopic procedures.

Name

Uptake Medical

Legal name

Uptake Medical Technology, Inc.

Website

https://uptakemedical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Uptake Medical Technology, Inc. is a subsidiary of Broncus Holding Company that develops and commercializes the InterVapor System for Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA), a non-surgical bronchoscopic steam-based therapy sold to hospitals for treating severe emphysema and, in clinical development, lung cancer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interventional Pulmonology Devices

akta.pro primary industry

Anesthesia & Respiratory Gas Delivery Equipment (Breathing Circuits, Vaporizers, Gas Mixers) (HLAHAGAK)

Keywords

• Bronchoscopic vapor ablation
• Lung volume reduction
• Emphysema treatment devices
• Interventional pulmonology
• Medical device manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. InterVapor BTVA System Sales: Sale of medical devices (bronchoscopic vapor ablation system and consumables) to hospitals and clinical centers for treatment of emphysema and lung cancer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Uptake Medical develops and commercializes the InterVapor System, a Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA) medical device that delivers heated pure water (steam) through a bronchoscope to ablate diseased lung tissue. The non-surgical, non-implant procedure is performed under light sedation in less than 15 minutes and is used for lung volume reduction in severe emphysema (GOLD stage III & IV) and for ablation of lung tumors.

Product overview

Uptake Medical offers the InterVapor System, a single core product platform for Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA). BTVA is a non-surgical, non-implant therapy that uses heated pure water (steam) delivered via bronchoscope to ablate diseased lung tissue. The company focuses on pulmonary disease treatment, primarily for emphysema and lung cancer applications. The therapy enables targeted segmental ablation of the most diseased lung segments while preserving healthier tissue. The system has received CE Mark and TGA approvals for commercial use in emphysema treatment, with FDA Breakthrough Device designation for severe emphysema. Clinical trials are ongoing for lung cancer applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InterVapor: The InterVapor System for Bronchoscopic Thermal Vapor Ablation (BTVA) - a non-surgical, non-implant therapy for treating emphysema and lung cancer using heated water vapor to ablate diseased tissue.

Products and services

• InterVapor System (BTVA) The InterVapor System is a bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation medical device that delivers heated pure water vapor (steam) through a bronchoscope to ablate diseased lung tissue. It is a non-surgical, non-implant therapy developed for lung volume reduction in patients with severe emphysema (GOLD stage III and IV) and for ablation of lung tumors. The procedure typically takes less than 15 minutes under light sedation, and ablated tissue is removed through the body's natural healing process. Sold to hospitals and clinical centers where interventional pulmonologists perform bronchoscopic procedures.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14.7% mean relative improvement in FEV1 at 6 months (p<0.0001)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Broncus Holding Company / Broncus MedicalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2016Broncus Holding Company (BHC) acquired the assets of privately held Uptake Medical Corp in August 2016. The acquisition positions BHC as the leader in providing complete solutions for lung diseases. Broncus Medical focuses on lung cancer treatment while Uptake Medical focuses on emphysema. The combination integrates Broncus's Archimedes system for accessing and diagnosing lung disease with Uptake's BTVA vapor technology. Robert Barry, Founder and Inventor of BTVA, continues as President of Uptake Medical Technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pulmonx: Pulmonx markets the Zephyr endobronchial valve, the leading bronchoscopic lung volume reduction device for severe emphysema. Directly competes with InterVapor/BTVA in the same BLVR indication, same patient population (severe emphysema/COPD), and same call point (interventional pulmonology), but uses an implant-based valve mechanism rather than vapor ablation.
• Spiration (Olympus): Spiration, a subsidiary of Olympus, markets the Spiration Valve System, another endobronchial valve for BLVR in severe emphysema. Directly competes with InterVapor for the same BLVR procedures, same hospitals, and same patient population; differentiated by valve-based mechanism vs BTVA's vapor ablation.
• BTG / PneumRx (Boston Scientific): PneumRx (acquired by BTG, now Boston Scientific) developed endobronchial coils for BLVR in emphysema. Direct competitor in bronchoscopic lung volume reduction using a different mechanism (coils) versus BTVA's vapor ablation. The IQWiG analysis cited by Uptake specifically flagged coils as having evidence of harm, contrasting with BTVA.
• CSA Medical: CSA Medical markets the RejuvenAir Metered Cryospray system for COPD, a bronchoscopically delivered thermal therapy for chronic bronchitis. Directly comparable as another thermal-energy bronchoscopic therapy for COPD, addressing adjacent but overlapping patient populations with a different ablative modality.

Emerging players

• Nuvaira: Nuvaira is developing targeted lung denervation (TLD) for COPD, a bronchoscopic catheter-based ablation of parasympathetic nerves around the airways. Emerging competitor in the interventional COPD space with overlapping call points (interventional pulmonologists) and similar mechanism philosophy (energy-based lung remodeling), but different target tissue and indication focus.
• Penumbra: Penumbra has expanded beyond its core aspiration thrombectomy franchise into lung and tumor-related indications. Its Indigo aspiration system and emerging lung-focused programs compete for interventional pulmonology procedure slots and represent an emerging entrant in the energy/thermal ablation adjacency.

Others

• Broncus Medical: Broncus Medical is Uptake Medical's sister company under Broncus Holding Company, offering the Archimedes LungPoint navigation and biopsy system for lung diagnosis. Sister subsidiary in the same parent, serving the same interventional pulmonology call point with diagnostic/lung access tools that complement rather than compete with BTVA.

Broad incumbents

• Medtronic: Medtronic is a broad incumbent in interventional pulmonology and lung cancer with energy ablation devices (Emprint, Cool-tip), lung navigation (superDimension), and bronchoscopy platforms. Overlaps with Uptake on the ablation and lung procedure call points but operates at vastly larger scale across many surgical and respiratory franchises.
• Johnson & Johnson (Biosense Webster / NeuWave): Johnson & Johnson owns NeuWave and other ablation technologies used in tumor ablation procedures. While not a direct BLVR competitor, the energy ablation approach for lung tumors is conceptually adjacent and J&J has the scale and regulatory expertise to enter or acquire into the space.
• AngioDynamics: AngioDynamics markets a portfolio of thermal and non-thermal ablation technologies (NanoKnife, StarBurst, Solero) used in tumor ablation across multiple organs including lung. Adjacent comparator for energy-based lung tumor ablation, the second intended indication of the InterVapor platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UptakeMedical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uptake-medical

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Uptake Medical