ARC Medical Inc.
1 known investors
ARC Medical develops liquid medical devices, including its JOCOAT and IPCOAT products, that create a temporary physical barrier during arthroscopy, laparoscopy, or open surgery to prevent or reduce surgical adhesions. The products are aimed at improving patient recovery and are intended for surgeons and healthcare providers performing surgical procedures.
Also known as ARC · ARC Medical Devices, Inc.
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ARC Medical Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage medical device company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, focused on the prevention and reduction of internal surgical adhesions. Surgical adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue that form between internal tissues after surgery and can cause chronic pain, immobility, organ dysfunction, infertility and small bowel obstruction, often requiring an additional procedure to release them. The company positions adhesion prevention as a large unmet need, noting that more than 300 million surgical procedures are performed globally each year.
The company's two lead products are JOCOAT, aimed at orthopedic (knee and shoulder) surgery, and IPCOAT, aimed at gynecologic and abdominal surgery. Both are high molecular weight, polymer-based (biopolysaccharide) liquid devices applied into the surgical site at the end of an arthroscopy, laparoscopy or open laparotomy procedure. The liquid flows through the surgical cavity and forms a temporary physical barrier film that coats tissues and mechanically separates them. ARC states that fewer than 250 mL of IPCOAT provides complete intraperitoneal coverage of the abdominopelvic cavity. ARC Medical is an ISO 13485:2016 certified company and reports passing more than a dozen biocompatibility tests under standards such as ISO 10993, conducted under GLP and/or GMP conditions.
The leadership team includes CEO Dr. Chris Springate, CFO Mike Liggett, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Litchfield, Ray Jordan in corporate affairs, Alison Crowe (clinical), and Dr. Carrie Wang (preclinical), with additional staff covering quality assurance, regulatory and intellectual property. Springate is described as having co-led ARC in acquiring more than USD 30 million of equity and licensing financing and as an inventor on several of the company's patent families.
Business model
ARC develops proprietary liquid adhesion-barrier medical devices and advances them through clinical trials, and actively seeks partnerships with other companies to commercialize its devices, data and patents; as of late 2024 it was in discussions toward a Japanese partnership agreement.
Traction
JOCOAT had been deployed in 20 orthopedic surgery patients (16 knee and 4 shoulder), with early clinical data suggesting possible improvement in joint range of motion and mobility after surgery plus JOCOAT application relative to pre-operative function. IPCOAT completed a randomized, controlled, double-blinded GLAD-01 safety trial in 76 healthy volunteers in which it was reported safe, well tolerated and accepted, with results presented at AAGL 2025. In December 2025 ARC treated the first patient in the GLAD-04 pivotal trial of JOCOAT in ACL repair surgery and reported the first deployment of IPCOAT in a gynecologic surgery patient, alongside an application to initiate the GLAD-02 randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial in endometriosis laparoscopic surgery patients. The company reports seven patent families providing exclusivity for JOCOAT and IPCOAT through 2039 and beyond.
Latest developments
In December 2025 ARC announced treatment of the first patient in the GLAD-04 pivotal trial of JOCOAT in knee ACL repair surgery and the first deployment of IPCOAT in a gynecologic surgery patient, together with an application to begin the GLAD-02 randomized, controlled, double-blinded IPCOAT trial in endometriosis laparoscopic surgery. In November 2025 the company presented IPCOAT GLAD-01 safety clinical results and nonclinical safety, efficacy and mechanism-of-action studies at the 54th AAGL Global Congress in Vancouver.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, risks & controversies
Market position
ARC describes itself as a clinical-stage company in surgical adhesion prevention and claims to be the only company with a liquid product that flows and then forms a film throughout an entire surgical site; it benchmarks its devices against existing marketed adhesion-reduction products and cites a billion-dollar market with large unmet need. Staff experience references established adhesion products including Seprafilm, Sepracoat, Adept, AdSpray and Actamax Adhesion Barrier.
The company states its liquid device flows through and then films the entire surgical site, rather than covering only a localized area, and that it is undertaking the first safety volume-escalation clinical trial of an anti-adhesion therapeutic to establish the highest safe volume for later efficacy studies, an approach it contrasts with other adhesion reduction products.
Technology
High molecular weight, polymer-based liquid biopolysaccharide devices that are applied into a surgical site at the end of arthroscopy, laparoscopy or open laparotomy surgery, flow throughout the cavity and form a temporary physical polymer barrier film on tissues to mechanically separate them and prevent or reduce adhesion formation. Less than 250 mL of IPCOAT is stated to cover the entire intraperitoneal cavity. The devices have passed more than a dozen biocompatibility tests in accordance with standards such as ISO 10993 under GLP and/or GMP, and the company holds ISO 13485:2016 certification.
Go-to-market
Clinical development followed by partnering: ARC solicits corporate partnerships around its devices, clinical data and patents, participates in medical and investor conferences, and presents scientific data at surgical congresses such as the AAGL Global Congress on Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery.
Surgeons and healthcare providers performing orthopedic, gynecologic and abdominal procedures; the company cites over 11 million patients in the US and 1 million in Japan undergoing surgeries that may benefit from JOCOAT and IPCOAT.
Geography
Headquartered at Unit 8 - 3071 No. 5 Road, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, with press releases issued from Vancouver, BC. Clinical and commercial interests span the US, Europe, Canada and Japan, including partnership discussions in Japan.
Risks & controversies
As a clinical-stage device developer, ARC's lead products JOCOAT and IPCOAT remain in clinical development and are not described as approved or marketed; efficacy claims rest on early, small-patient-number data (JOCOAT clinical data in four orthopedic patients and a 76-volunteer IPCOAT safety trial) and on trials that are still being initiated.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsARC announced the first deployment of IPCOAT in a gynecologic surgery patient and its application to initiate the GLAD-02 randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical trial of IPCOAT in gynecologic endometriosis laparoscopic surgery patients.
ARC announced treatment of the first patient in the GLAD-04 clinical trial evaluating JOCOAT for prevention or reduction of surgical adhesions in knee anterior cruciate ligament repair surgery patients.
ARC presented GLAD-01 safety trial results for IPCOAT, in which the device was reported safe, well tolerated and accepted in a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial with 76 healthy volunteers, plus nonclinical safety, efficacy and mechanism-of-action studies, at the 54th AAGL Global Congress held in Vancouver, Canada on November 8-11, 2025.
ARC announced successful deployment of JOCOAT in its 20th orthopedic surgery patient, comprising 16 knee and 4 shoulder surgery patients, with early clinical data suggesting possible improvement in joint range of motion and mobility versus pre-operative function.
ARC announced completion of a USD $3 million financing to fund a 20-patient JOCOAT orthopedic trial in ACL repair led by CMO Prof. Dr. Robert Litchfield and a 20-patient IPCOAT gynecological endometriosis trial led by Prof. Dr. Rudy De Wilde, and to extend runway for discussions toward a Japanese partnership agreement.
$3M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- ARC Medical Inc.arcmedicaldevices.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does ARC Medical Inc. do?
- ARC Medical is a clinical-stage Canadian medical device company developing liquid barriers that prevent surgical adhesions.
- Who are ARC Medical Inc.'s investors?
- ARC Medical Inc.'s investors include WUTIF Capital.