MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric Medical, Inc., the global leader in acute ischemic stroke intervention, today announced the enrollment of the 500th patient in its Merci Registry, a real-world, international, post-market study of its innovative product, the Merci Retrieval System(TM). The Registry has enrolled patients from over 30 sites worldwide and is continuing to enroll patients. The Registry is the largest repository of data on mechanical intervention in acute ischemic stroke patients.
In June 2007, Concentric Medical launched the Merci Registry to collect data to gain a better understanding of the best practices surrounding use of mechanical intervention in acute ischemic stroke patients. Concentric Medical continues to demonstrate scientific leadership in acute ischemic stroke intervention with this Registry, as well as the two peer-reviewed and published clinical trials MERCI and Multi MERCI. In addition, Concentric is currently planning RETRIEVE, a randomized controlled trial comparing outcomes in patients treated with the Merci Retrieval System to medically treated patients. The Registry and the two published trials include clinical data on over 800 ischemic stroke patients treated with the Merci Retrieval System.
The Merci Registry has captured a wide variety of data, including acute procedural data, patient care protocols, and longer term outcomes. The acute procedural data, such as recanalization rates and procedural steps, play a critical role in Concentric Medical’s ability to continually improve the technical success and ease of use of the Merci Retrieval System. Participating physicians and Concentric Medical are analyzing patient care protocols and longer term outcomes to further the stroke community’s understanding of best practices for the acute care and management of stroke victims. The first analyses of these data are expected to be completed and presented later this year.
Wade S. Smith, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology at University of California San Francisco, said, “The Merci Registry is an invaluable tool that will provide physicians who treat stroke with important information on the benefits offered by mechanical intervention, as well as insight into how best to care for patients who suffer from this devastating disease. Data reflecting real-world experience complements data derived from clinical trials because it represents more closely how patients are being cared for in the community at large. Because we are still in the early phases of acute treatment of ischemic stroke, it will also serve as a platform for us to ask additional questions and may ultimately help shape the future of research and patient care.”
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of serious long-term disability with close to 800,000 strokes expected to occur in 2009. Ischemic stroke represents over 85% of strokes and occurs when a blockage or clot develops in one of the arteries supplying blood to the brain. In 2004 the FDA cleared Concentric Medical’s Merci Retrieval System for use in patients who are ineligible for IV-tPA or fail to respond to IV-tPA therapy. This new system offered physicians and patients a long-awaited option for stroke intervention and created a departure from the historic method of caring for stroke patients.
About Concentric Medical
Concentric Medical is located in Mountain View, California and is the global leader in the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The company manufactures and markets the Merci Retrieval System(TM), a set of minimally invasive devices that are delivered into the brain to restore blood flow by removing blood clots that cause ischemic stroke. The Merci Retrieval System is available in over 300 leading stroke centers around the world, and has been the subject of two successful clinical trials, MERCI and Multi MERCI. Concentric Medical estimates that over 10,000 patients have been treated with its devices. For more information about Concentric Medical, please visit www.concentric-medical.com.
CONTACT: Mike Dineen, VP of Marketing of Concentric Medical, Inc.,
+1-650-938-2100, strokeinfo@concentric-medical.com
Web site: http://www.concentric-medical.com/
