On-X Life Technologies, Inc. Prepares European Sales Force To Sell On-X® Plus 1.5™ Aortic Heart Valve

free biotech news Get the latest biotech news where you want it. Sign up for the free GenePool newsletter today!

AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2014—Privately held On-X® Life Technologies Inc. (On-X LTI) announced today that it has assembled its European sales force at a training symposium in Barcelona ahead of launching its international marketing campaign for the On-X Plus 1.5 Aortic Heart Valve.

In January, On-X LTI received European regulatory approval for an expanded labeling claim, which now permits the company to market its breakthrough mechanical heart valve in Europe with a reduced requirement for the use of blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin. The On-X® Plus 1.5™ Aortic Heart Valve is the only approved mechanical heart valve that allows patients to be managed at an INR (International Normalized Ratio) range between 1.5—2.0, a near-normal level. An INR blood test measures the time it takes for patients’ blood to clot.

“We fully expect that our On-X Plus 1.5 Aortic Heart Valve will be rapidly and broadly embraced by heart surgeons throughout Europe, not only by our current customers but also by new surgeons who want the best mechanical valve for their patients, because the On-X valve is the only mechanical valve with a clinically established 60% reduction in bleeding events with no increase in thromboembolic events at the lower warfarin dosage in the PROACT clinical trial, an FDA-approved multicenter study with over 1,400 patient years and 50,000 INR data points,” said Clyde Baker, President and CEO of On-X LTI.

“We have a long history of commitment to physicians and their patients who want the very best, safest mechanical valve available. We have assembled our international network in order to thoroughly prepare our sales associates for the increased demand for our state-of-the-art On-X Plus 1.5 valve,” added Baker. “Because it has been shown to be safe to use the On-X mechanical valve with low levels of warfarin, European patients and their surgeons now have a new valve alternative, and the initial response from clinicians has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The European expanded labeling claim was supported by interim data from a recently completed arm of an FDA IDE clinical trial—Prospective Randomized On-X Anticoagulation Clinical Trial (“PROACT”)—presented by principal investigator John D. Puskas, M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, at the annual scientific meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). These data demonstrated the safety of maintaining On-X® aortic heart valve patients on a reduced anticoagulation therapy regimen while decreasing bleeding complications by 60 percent.

About the On-X® Prosthetic Heart Valve

The On-X heart valve is the result of a breakthrough in medical grade carbon technology: On-X pure pyrolytic carbon. In addition to providing a more thromboresistant surface, the comparatively high strength of pure On-X Carbon has enabled On-X LTI to make significant valve design changes that have resulted in a prosthesis that acts more like a natural valve in its treatment of blood. Clinical studies have documented that the On-X valve does not produce the turbulence and blood damage commonly produced by other mechanical heart valve prostheses and, therefore, significantly reduces the potential for life-threatening blood clots, which is the basis of the expanded labeling claim recently granted to On-X LTI in the European Union.

About On-X® Life Technologies (On-X LTI)

On-X Life Technologies (On-X LTI) develops mechanical heart valve replacements that are designed to dramatically improve the quality of life of patients. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, On-X LTI is a privately held company. More information is located at www.onxlti.com.

On-X is a registered trademark of On-X Life Technologies Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective companies.

The approval of a lower INR recommendation through the EU regulatory process applies only within that jurisdiction and others that accept EU review. This therapy is not approved in the US or other countries that have reviews independent of the EU. In these countries On-X Life Technologies, Inc., continues to recommend standard anticoagulation therapy as presently prescribed by various professional societies for the On-X valve. On-X aortic and mitral valves are FDA approved.

CAUTION: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. Refer to the Instructions for Use that accompany each valve for indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions and possible complications. CAUTION: Investigational use of this device in the Prospective Randomized On-X Valve Anticoagulation Trial (PROACT) is limited by federal law to investigational sites. For further information, visit www.onxlti.com.

Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC