Cathpax rolls out new radiation protection system Nova-X®across EMEA following very promising clinical results

Cathpax has signed several distribution contracts in different geographic regions and is supplying Nova-X^® to various neurointerventional centers

Nantes, France, May 28, 2026 – Cathpax, a spin-off of nuclear radiation protection group Lemer Pax, that designs, develops and commercializes team-wide, full-body radiation protection systems for interventional medical practitioners, today announces the commercial launch of Nova-X^® in Europe and the Middle East. The company has already signed several distribution contracts, buoyed by excellent clinical results that highlight Nova-X^®’s unparalleled radiation protection performance, against a backdrop currently favoring the implementation of team-wide, full-body radiation protection equipment over the conventional personal protection equipment that only provides partial protection (new ALARA+ standard). Over the past few months, it has also installed its product in different centers across strategic geographic regions, demonstrating a keen interest in this new solution.

Last January, results from the NOVARAD multicentric, two-arm prospective clinical study assessing the effectiveness of Nova-X^® were presented at the international ABC Win seminar on interventional neuroradiology. This study, the world’s first aimed at evaluating exposure to X-rays in interventional neuroradiology, produced unique results when compared to competing or conventional systems on the market. With an unmatched level of radiation protection, these results open the door to a new way of working for operators, allowing them to dispense with wearing lead aprons. By improving radiation protection for cath lab staff, this system can replace the conventional full-body and individual protection systems which are ineffective at protecting practitioners from radiation-induced pathologies (cancer, cataracts, etc.). 66% of those healthcare professionals are subject to serious musculoskeletal disorders[1].

On this solid basis, the company has received several expressions of interest over the space of just a few months. To date, distribution contracts have been signed in numerous geographic regions including Poland with Model Medical and the DACH region with MedUnity. Several systems were also delivered before this announcement to centers including the Bonn University Hospital in Germany (Universitätsklinikum Bonn) and the Santo Antonio de Porto Hospital in Portugal. Healthcare professionals at some equipped centers are already operating without lead aprons on the authorization of their Occupational Medicine Departments, reporting that this has given them the capacity to refocus fully on the medical procedures with a significant reduction in fatigue and stress. By the end of 2027, Cathpax intends to have a total of 50 systems installed in the EMEA region.

“The NOVARAD clinical study has shown the full potential of our new radiation protection system, boasting a performance currently without equivalent on the market. A procedure using Nova-X is equivalent to the general public’s exposure to natural radioactivity for approximately 8 hours, or a third of a passenger’s exposure on a flight from London to Paris. This product reflects our extensive know-how and expertise in the design and production of innovative radioactive protection technologies and equipment. I am extremely proud of the many benefits it brings to interventional physicians and indirectly to patients,” said Pierre-Marie Lemer, president at Cathpax.

“Since presenting our clinical results, we have received many expressions of interest, and initial feedback has been extremely positive. In a global market with tens of thousands of cath labs performing 40 million procedures a year, our potential for growth is enormous. Our first focus is the European market, and we will look at the US and Asian markets towards the end of 2027,” said Valérie Chevreul, CEO of Cathpax.

Using extremely precise state-of-the-art dosimeters, the NOVARAD study analyzed X-ray doses received by three operators in seven distinct anatomical areas. Study results show that by using the Nova-X^® system, the main operator receives an average dose of 1.0 µSv[2] per procedure, compared to 11.1 µSv with conventional radiation protection equipment. The individual doses received are on average 11 times lower for the head (1.2 µSv vs. 11.2 µSv), 11 times lower for the arms (1.0 µSv vs. 11.2 µSv) and 38 times lower for the feet (0.4 µSv vs. 14.9 µSv) compared to a conventional approach.

According to a recent publication by JVS-Vascular Insights, exposure to X-rays in interventional medicine represents a cost of $9 million for fatal cancer, $200,000 for non-fatal cancer, and between $12,000 and $45,000 for of musculoskeletal disorders[3]. The study also points out that these figures exclude any costs associated with reduced activity and replacing physicians. This publication, an initiative of several scientific societies, also highlights the need to progress the ALARA (As Low as Reasonably Achievable) radiation protection principle to ALARA+³ (As Low and as Light as Reasonably Achievable), thereby encouraging the implementation of team-wide radiation protection systems such as Nova-X^®.

CATHPAX AT LINNC 2026 Participants at LINNC 2026 will have the opportunity to:  Benefit from a product demonstration and test the system at booth n° 24Attend several live cases with the Nova-X system on Monday, June 1 and Tuesday, June 2 live from Bicêtre University Hospital (AP-HP, Paris) in France, from the Main Conference Room

ABOUT NOVA-X^®

Nova-X is a new radiation protection system designed to provide team-wide, full-body protection for cath lab medical staff, thereby improving both their safety and comfort in the workplace, to the benefit of patients. Nova-X offers more effective prevention against stochastic and deterministic risks related to daily X-ray exposure. Drawing on more than ten years of R&D, Nova-X stems from the expertise and know-how of the Lemer Pax group, which has more than 50 years of experience in the civilian nuclear sector. Protected by more than ten patents, it is currently the only solution available on the market providing 2 mm lead equivalence over 70% of its surface, compared to the 0.5 mm for personal protective equipment (lead aprons) and collective protective equipment (suspended ceiling shields and table-mounted shields) currently found in cath labs. The system features a real-time dose rate reduction monitoring system (Dosicath^®). Nova-X also boasts a laser system that delineates a controlled zone on the floor at all times (Laserguard^®). Nova-X received CE-Mark certification at the end of 2025 and the company expects to obtain FDA approval over the course of the next two years.

ABOUT CATHPAX

Cathpax, a spin-off of the Lemer Pax group, designs, develops and commercializes team-wide, full-body radiation protection systems for cath lab staff during interventional procedures (minimally invasive treatment for cardiovascular disease). Founded in 2024, Cathpax leverages more than 50 years of innovation in the radiation protection field. The company benefits from the pioneering developments in ionizing radiation protection achieved by Lemer Pax since the 1970s and will further advance the group’s two decades of groundbreaking innovations to pursue its mission of Protecting Life. Cathpax is active in one of three areas of expertise within the Lemer Pax group that has developed numerous state-of-the-art technologies and equipment deployed in thousands of products worldwide: Lemer Pax (civilian nuclear sector, radiopharmacy, nuclear medicine and radiology), GMP (therapy radioisotope production) and Cathpax (interventional medicine). Based in Nantes (France), Cathpax aims to become the world leader in full-body and team-wide radiation protection in interventional medicine.

www.cathpax.com

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[1] Occupational Health Hazards in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: Results of the 2023 SCAI Survey

[2] Global body dose: arithmetic mean of the doses received by the operator on lead apron (head, thyroid, forearm, chest, hip, midtibia)

[3]Riley RF et al.. ALARA+: Summit on Radiation and Orthopedic Risks in Fluoroscopic Laboratories: Endorsed by ACC, ACVP, ASE, HRS, SCAI, SIR, SNIS, SVIN, and SVS. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2026 Mar 24:108689. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2026.108689. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41874495.