NASDAQ, TSX: NVCN
VANCOUVER, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Neovasc Inc.
("Neovasc" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: NVCN)(TSX: NVCN), a leader in
the development of minimally invasive transcatheter mitral valve
replacement technologies and in the development of minimally
invasive devices for the treatment of refractory angina, today
announced that the International Journal of Cardiology has
published a peer reviewed article regarding long term sustained
efficacy and safety of the Reducer therapy in 50 patients suffering
from refractory disabling angina. The title of the article is:
"Safety and efficacy of Coronary Sinus Reducer implantation at
2-year follow-up."
"This study shows us that the Reducer has a sustained
therapeutic effect at two years across a large patient population.
In addition, we believe this study provides valuable long-term
safety data that further supports cardiologists use of the Reducer
as a therapeutic option for patients suffering from refractory
angina," commented Prof. Shmuel
Banai, Medical Director of Neovasc. "This data supports our
belief that the Reducer offers refractory angina patients a safe
and effective treatment option, filling a void in a market where
there are currently limited therapeutic options."
The 50-patient study found that the Reducer remains safe in the
long-term with no device-related adverse events at the two year
follow up. In addition, the reduction of angina symptoms and the
improvement of quality of life observed after Reducer therapy were
maintained at 2-year follow-up.
About Reducer
The Reducer is CE-marked in the European
Union for the treatment of refractory angina, a painful and
debilitating condition that occurs when the coronary arteries
deliver an inadequate supply of blood to the heart muscle, despite
treatment with standard revascularization or cardiac drug
therapies. It affects millions of patients worldwide, who typically
lead severely restricted lives as a result of their disabling
symptoms, and its incidence is growing. The Reducer provides relief
of angina symptoms by altering blood flow in the heart's
circulatory system, thereby increasing the perfusion of oxygenated
blood to ischemic areas of the heart muscle. Placement of the
Reducer is performed using a minimally invasive transvenous
procedure that is similar to implanting a coronary stent and is
completed in approximately 20 minutes.
While the Reducer is not approved for commercial use in the
USA, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Device designation to the
Neovasc Reducer in October 2018. This
designation is granted by the FDA in order to expedite the
development and review of a device that demonstrates compelling
potential to provide a more effective treatment or diagnosis for
life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases. In
addition, there must be no FDA approved treatments presently
available, or the technology must offer significant advantages over
existing approved alternatives.
Refractory angina, resulting in continued symptoms despite
maximal medical therapy and without revascularization options, is
estimated to affect 600,000 to 1.8 million Americans, with 50,000
to 100,000 new cases per year.1
About Neovasc Inc.
Neovasc is a specialty medical
device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for
the rapidly growing cardiovascular marketplace. Its products
include the Reducer, for the treatment of refractory angina, which
is not currently commercially available in the United States and has been commercially
available in Europe since 2015,
and the Tiara™, for the transcatheter treatment of mitral valve
disease, which is currently under clinical investigation in
the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information, visit:
www.neovasc.com.
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
Certain
statements in this news release contain forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws that may not be
based on historical fact, including without limitation statements
containing the words "believe", "may", "plan", "will", "estimate",
"continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect" and similar
expressions. Forward-looking statements may involve, but are not
limited to, beliefs as to the study providing valuable long-term
safety data that further supports cardiologists use of the Reducer
as a therapeutic option for patients suffering from refractory
angina, beliefs that the Reducer offers refractory angina patients
a safe and effective treatment option, filling a void in a market
where there are currently limited therapeutic options and
statements regarding the growing incidence of refractory angina and
the growing cardiovascular marketplace. Many factors and
assumptions could cause the Company's actual results, performance
or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without
limitation, the substantial doubt about the Company's ability to
continue as a going concern; risks relating to the Notes issued
pursuant to the 2017 Financing, resulting in significant dilution
to the Company's shareholders; risks relating to the Company's need
for significant additional future capital and the Company's ability
to raise additional funding; risks relating to cashless exercise
and adjustment provisions in the Notes issued pursuant to the 2017
Financing, which could make it more difficult and expensive for the
Company to raise additional capital in the future and result in
further dilution to investors; risks relating to the sale of a
significant number of common shares of the Company; risks relating
to the conversion of Notes issued pursuant to the 2017 Financing,
which may encourage short sales by third parties; risks relating to
the possibility that the common shares of the Company may be
delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market or the Toronto Stock
Exchange, which could affect their market price and liquidity;
risks relating to the Company's conclusion that it did not have
effective internal control over financial reporting as at
December 31, 2018; risks relating to
the Company's common share price being volatile; risks relating to
the influence of significant shareholders of the Company over the
Company's business operations and share price; risks relating to
the Company's significant indebtedness, and its effect on the
Company's financial condition; risks relating to claims by third
parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property
rights; risks relating to lawsuits that the Company is subject to,
which could divert the Company's resources and result in the
payment of significant damages and other remedies; the Company's
ability to establish, maintain and defend intellectual property
rights in the Company's products; risks relating to results from
clinical trials of the Company's products, which may be unfavorable
or perceived as unfavorable; the Company's history of losses and
significant accumulated deficit; risks associated with product
liability claims, insurance and recalls; risks relating to use of
the Company's products in unapproved circumstances, which could
expose the Company to liabilities; risks relating to competition in
the medical device industry, including the risk that one or more of
the Company's competitors may develop more effective or more
affordable products; risks relating to the Company's ability to
achieve or maintain expected levels of market acceptance for the
Company's products, as well as the Company's ability to
successfully build its in-house sales capabilities or secure
third-party marketing or distribution partners; the Company's
ability to convince public payors and hospitals to include the
Company's products on their approved products lists; risks relating
to new legislation, new regulatory requirements and the efforts of
governmental and third-party payors to contain or reduce the costs
of healthcare; risks relating to increased regulation, enforcement
and inspections of participants in the medical device industry,
including frequent government investigations into marketing and
other business practices; risks associated with the extensive
regulation of the Company's products and trials by governmental
authorities, as well as the cost and time delays associated
therewith; risks associated with post-market regulation of the
Company's products; health and safety risks associated with the
Company's products and industry; risks associated with the
Company's manufacturing operations, including the regulation of the
Company's manufacturing processes by governmental authorities and
the availability of two critical components of the Reducer; risk of
animal disease associated with the use of the Company's products;
risks relating to the manufacturing capacity of third-party
manufacturers for the Company's products, including risks of supply
interruptions impacting the Company's ability to manufacture its
own products; risks relating to the Company's dependence on limited
products for substantially all of the Company's current revenues;
risks relating to the Company's exposure to adverse movements in
foreign currency exchange rates; risks relating to the possibility
that the Company could lose its foreign private issuer status under
U.S. federal securities laws; risks relating to breaches of
anti-bribery laws by the Company's employees or agents; risks
associated with future changes in financial accounting standards
and new accounting pronouncements; risks relating to the Company's
dependence upon key personnel to achieve its business objectives;
the Company's ability to maintain strong relationships with
physicians; risks relating to the sufficiency of the Company's
management systems and resources in periods of significant growth;
risks associated with consolidation in the health care industry,
including the downward pressure on product pricing and the growing
need to be selected by larger customers in order to make sales to
their members or participants; risks relating to the Company's
ability to successfully identify and complete corporate
transactions on favorable terms or achieve anticipated synergies
relating to any acquisitions or alliances; risks relating to the
Company's ability to successfully enter into fundamental
transactions as defined in the Notes issued pursuant to the 2017
Financings; anti-takeover provisions in the Company's constating
documents which could discourage a third party from making a
takeover bid beneficial to the Company's shareholders; and risks
relating to conflicts of interests among the Company's officers and
directors as a result of their involvement with other issuers.
These risk factors and others relating to the Company are discussed
in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's
Annual Report on Form 20-F and in the Management's Discussion and
Analysis for the three months ended March
31, 2019 (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedar.com
or www.sec.gov). The Company has no intention and undertakes no
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements
beyond required periodic filings with securities regulators,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by law.
1T. J.
Povsic, S. Broderick, K. J. Anstrom et al., "Predictors of
long‐term clinical endpoints in patients with refractory angina,"
Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 4, no. 2, article
e001287, 2015.
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SOURCE Neovasc Inc.