CARMAT today announces that it has signed a partnership agreement with AddUp, the Joint Venture specialized in 3D printing set up by the Michelin and Fives groups.
This unique collaboration in the medical sector
will accelerate the industrial phase of the CARMAT project
Paris, November 13, 2017 - 7 am CET
CARMAT (FR0010907956, ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world’s most advanced artificial heart project, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, today announces that it has signed a partnership agreement with AddUp, the Joint Venture specialized in 3D printing set up by the Michelin and Fives groups.
The aim of this collaboration is to strengthen the industrial development of the CARMAT heart and contribute to increase the Company’s production capacity in preparation for the large scale production phase.
Thanks to AddUp’s expertise, CARMAT will ultimately be able to provide surgeons and patients with a version of its artificial heart that incorporates all the technological benefits of 3D printing, and in particular:
- optimized anatomical interfaces leading to enhanced anatomical compatibility and surgical comfort;
- reduction in the number of components, thus better securing the device’s assembly.
Vincent Ferreiro, CEO and Chairman of AddUp, comments: “As pioneers in the development of industrial 3D printing solutions, we are delighted to have the opportunity to associate our unique additive manufacturing technology with a medical project as innovative as the CARMAT one. We possess a know-how in providing support to our partners from the feasibility stage to the industrialization of concept ideas. We are very enthusiastic about the ability to apply it to the medical field for the first time.”
Stéphane Piat, CEO of CARMAT, adds: “The CARMAT project has been, since the beginning, a perfect example of cooperation between the industrial and medical fields. The partnership agreement signed today with AddUp is an additional proof and will enable us - alongside our ongoing clinical development - to anticipate longer-term evolutions in our industrial and technical needs. With a partner as prestigious as AddUp, I am convinced in our ability to accelerate our industrialization and secure our project.”
About AddUp
AddUp was created on April 1, 2016 following the decision adopted by the two major industrial groups Fives and Michelin to create, on September 4, 2015, Fives Michelin Additive Solutions. This joint venture aims to bring customers its unique experience and expertise in developing and marketing machines and industrial production lines using metal additive manufacturing technology, generally known as metal 3D printing, worldwide.
About CARMAT: the world’s most advanced total artificial heart project
A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world’s leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States.
The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards® heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader.
Imitating the natural heart: given its size, the choice of structural materials and its innovative physiological functions, CARMAT’s total artificial heart could, assuming the necessary clinical trials are successful, potentially benefit the lives of thousands of patients a year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life.
A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of €33 million.
Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Airbus Group (Matra Défense), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue,Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD, Air Liquide’s venture capital investor, CorNovum, an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State, the family offices of Pierre Bastid (ZAKA) and of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Santé Holdings S.R.L.) as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT.
For more information: www.carmatsa.com
Disclaimer
This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT (“the Company”) in any country. This press release contains forward???looking statements that relate to the Company’s objectives. Such forward???looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company’s management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company’s products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company’s objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties.
No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Document de Référence filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers under number D.16-0200 on March 22, 2017 and changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company’s ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of the ANSM, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and tests required for CE marking and to obtain the CE mark. CARMAT products are currently exclusively used within the framework of clinical trials.
