The Neovasc Reducer is a novel device designed to treat patients who suffer from refractory angina, a painful and debilitating condition that occurs when the coronary arteries deliver an inadequate supply of blood to the heart muscle. Refractory angina currently affects over two million patients worldwide, who typically lead severely restricted lives. The incidence of refractory angina is growing, yet current treatment options are limited.
The Reducer is implanted in the coronary sinus vein using minimally invasive techniques. It is intended to provide relief of refractory angina symptoms by altering blood flow in the coronary sinus and thereby increasing perfusion of oxygenated blood to certain areas of the heart muscle that receive an inadequate supply of oxygen. Placement of the Reducer is performed using a minimally invasive percutaneous procedure that is similar to implanting a coronary stent and takes approximately 20 minutes.
“This live case broadcast at TCT highlights the potential importance of our Reducer product as an innovative new treatment for the millions of patients disabled by refractory angina,” said Alexei Marko, Neovasc CEO. “We also found the discussion by a panel of distinguished interventional cardiologists following the procedure to be informative and encouraging. This high profile debut at TCT 2010 reinforces our commitment to completing the COSIRA trial on schedule and bringing the Reducer to market as a new treatment option for patients with refractory angina who lack alternatives for relieving their symptoms and improving their quality of life.”
Results from an initial clinical trial of the Reducer were presented at the American College of Cardiology 2010 annual meeting. The data showed that three years after implantation of the Reducer, the product remained safe and the majority of the 15 patients tested continued to show measurable improvement in angina symptoms. The COSIRA (Coronary Sinus Reducer for Treatment of Refractory Angina) trial now underway is a multicenter, sham-controlled, randomized, double-blinded study. It has been designed to provide controlled, statistically significant data to further demonstrate the efficacy of the Reducer to support regulatory applications and marketing of the product for the millions of refractory angina patients who might benefit.
Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the world's largest educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine, is the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. For more than 20 years, TCT has been the center of new cutting-edge educational content. TCT gathers leading medical researchers and clinicians from around the world to present and discuss the latest developments in the field. TCT 2010 was held in Washington DC from September 21-25, 2010. For more information, visit http://www.tctconference.com
About Neovasc Inc.
Neovasc Inc. is a specialty vascular device company that develops, manufactures and markets medical devices for the rapidly growing vascular and surgical marketplace. The company's current products include the Neovasc Reducer™, a novel product in development to treat refractory angina, as well as a line of advanced biological tissue technologies that are used to enhance surgical outcomes and as key components in a variety of third-party medical products such as percutaneous heart valves. For more information, visit: www.neovasc.com.
