Leech brings expertise in financing and scaling growth-stage medtech companies.
Moximed, a medical device company on a mission to improve the standard of care for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), today announced that James Leech has joined the company as Chief Financial and Strategy Officer.
“James adds significant financial and business strategy expertise to our executive team,” said Anton Clifford, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Moximed. “He’s achieved success as a founder, financier, and operator, particularly with companies at a growth stage similar to Moximed. James’ leadership will be instrumental as we continue to scale and grow adoption of the MISHA® Knee System.”
Leech was most recently a founding team member and Chief Business Officer at Palette Life Sciences, an interventional urology and radiation oncology focused medical device company. Palette was acquired by Teleflex in 2023 for an upfront cash payment of $600 million and an additional $50 million based on certain milestones. Leech is also the founder and Managing Partner of Warren Point Capital, LLC (WPC), a medical technology focused venture firm, and previously was a senior team-member at Back Bay Life Science Advisors, a life science focused investment banking and strategy consulting firm.
“I am excited to join Moximed and help lead the growth of the business,” said Mr. Leech. “The MISHA Knee System has a tremendous market opportunity to help millions of knee OA patients before they are ready for joint replacement, and the product is already demonstrating significant patient and surgeon interest early in the commercial launch. I look forward to playing a key role in scaling the business and realizing the full potential of Moximed’s market opportunity.”
About The MISHA® Knee System
Moximed’s MISHA Knee System is for people with medial knee OA who failed to find relief from previous treatments. These patients continue to experience pain that interferes with daily activities, and are ineligible for, or unwilling to undergo, joint replacement due to age or absence of advanced OA.
Knee OA develops when the joint’s natural shock absorbers, cartilage and meniscus, no longer cushion the joint from daily activities, leading to chronic pain and activity limitation. Many people with mild to moderate OA are otherwise healthy, in their prime working years, and have busy lives. For these patients, total knee replacement is a reluctant option, as it is an end-stage treatment for end-stage disease. OA patients without end-stage disease seek options that preserve their knee, activity level, and quality of life.
Reducing weight on painful osteoarthritic joints is known to reduce pain and improve function. The MISHA Knee System is the first implantable shock absorber that reduces weight on the knee joint with every walking step, easing pain, preserving function, and possibly delaying joint replacement surgery. The implant is placed on the medial knee and moves with the natural joint, reducing about 30% of the peak force on the knee with every walking step.
The MISHA Knee System is FDA cleared.
About Moximed
Moximed’s technology, the MISHA Knee System, is the result of over a decade of clinical research and development and is the first implantable shock absorber for the treatment of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (OA). With experienced med-tech leadership and strong investor support, Moximed is poised to elevate the standard of care and quality of life for millions of pre-arthroplasty knee OA sufferers hindered by arthritic knee pain and function loss. Moximed is based in Fremont, California. To learn more, visit www.moximed.com.
About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor managing over €2.6 billion across two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The Venture&Growth fund of Gilde Healthcare invests in fast growing companies active in therapeutics, medtech and digital health, based in Europe and North America. The Private Equity fund of Gilde Healthcare participates in profitable lower mid-market healthcare companies based in North-Western Europe. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gildehealthcare.com.
