Inura was born from the vision of Professor Grant S. Mulholland, a U.S. world-renowned urologist who really believed women should not have to endure OAB symptoms for their entire lives.
Grant S. Mulholland was a medical doctor and urologic surgeon with special expertise in infection and urologic oncology. Professor Mulholland was passionate and dedicated to the wellbeing of his patients and did everything he could to help them. In addition to maintaining a large clinical practice, he was extremely active in research and publishing throughout his long career. Mulholland strongly believed in the importance of education and devoted much time to the training of his residents and medical students. He served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at a prominent medical school for 25 years. Early in his career, he had served as Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, stationed in New York, performing lifesaving operations on newly injured veterans.
As a compassionate and caring physician who developed strong relationships with his patients, Dr. Mulholland listened intently to the many female patients who sought his help, desperate for relief from overactive bladder. Their disease severely impacted their personal lives, their jobs, and traveling even for short distances. Many had tried oral Oxybutinin with some relief of symptoms, but they stopped taking it because of the untenable systemic side effects. He had patients of all ages who were even wearing absorbent undergarments to deal with their problem, which posed its own set of problems. His belief was, “Women should NOT have to live like that! There has to be a better way.”
Dr. Mulholland reasoned that a female urethral suppository could be used as a platform for delivering Oxybutinin locally to the bladder without being absorbed systemically and causing unwanted side effects. He developed and patented this novel suppository in the U.S., which later on was brought to Switzerland.
Unfortunately, Dr. Mulholland passed away in 2015; however, his passion for helping OAB patients continues to live on within his wife, Betty Mulholland. As a registered nurse and a strong advocate for women’s health, Mrs. Mulholland recognizes the suppository’s potential as a life-changing product for millions of women. She is honored to continue Dr. Mulholland’s work and to see this product develop under Inura Medical.
In 2019 Hemex assumed administrative responsibilities for Inura and appointed Vanja Ivancevic as CEO of the company. Carrying on with Dr. Mulholland’s legacy and his vision to improve the lives of OAB patients, Inura has now finished the pre-clinical trial phase of the product and is anticipating starting clinical trials in 2022.
Current efforts to improve women’s health aren’t enough. Studies show that there are gender-based disparities in different aspects of health. Therefore, we are grateful that Mulholland believed in a better way for women and pursued it. Now, Inura will continue professor Mulholland’s legacy proudly.
About Inura Medical
Inura Medical AG (“Inura”) is a Swiss start-up company with a clear vision to make a difference in women’s health. Inura’s product is an innovative, first-of-a-kind “urethral ovulum” that utilizes a novel route of drug administration to treat diseases of the bladder and lower urinary tract. Inura’s technology results from decades of work in urology by Professor Grant S. Mulholland, a renowned surgeon, academic, and past President of the American Urology Association. The first indication we are addressing with the ovulum is a chronic disease, named overactive bladder (OAB). More details on https://inuramedical.ch/.