LAKE FOREST, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Orqis(R) Medical Corporation announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted the company its 13th patent, “Implantable Heart Assist System and Method of Applying the Same.”
The patent covers the miniaturization of the company’s Cancion(R) and Exeleras(R) Systems for direct placement of a pump, blood flow conduits and pump control electronics directly into the vasculature of congestive heart failure patients. Issuance of the patent provides a proprietary right that protects a means to treat acute and chronic heart failure that is not currently available which involves supplementing blood flow in the descending aorta with a system that can be inserted percutaneously and totally contained within the patient’s vasculature without coming into direct contact with the heart.
The Cancion System is currently being studied in the MOMENTUM Pivotal Trial and the first clinical use of the Exeleras System is expected next year. The feasibility study of the Cancion System, published last year in Circulation, found treatment with the device was associated with improvement in vascular, renal and cardiac function.
“This patent continues to solidify the intellectual property surrounding our novel and promising treatment for heart failure,” said Ken Charhut, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orqis Medical. “In addition, the patent also serves as the basis of the development platform for future generations of both the Cancion and Exeleras Systems.”
About Heart Failure
Almost 5 million Americans -- and 14 million worldwide -- suffer from heart failure, a condition in which the heart becomes weakened and cannot pump blood efficiently. Heart failure is caused by coronary artery disease, past myocardial infarctions, cardiomyopathy and other underlying cardiovascular disorders, and it is characterized by shortness of breath, wheezing and edema. In the U.S., heart failure results in over 1 million hospitalizations annually and is responsible for over $29 billion in direct and indirect costs to the U.S. healthcare system each year.
About Orqis Medical Corporation
Orqis Medical Corporation is a privately held, clinical-stage medical device company seeking to redefine heart failure therapy by developing products that prevent or reverse the underlying disease progression and provide new treatment options to the clinical community to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.
The company’s percutaneous Cancion system, for the treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure, is CE marked and is currently under an investigational device exemption (IDE) investigation in the United States in the MOMENTUM Pivotal Trial. The company’s implantable Exeleras System pump, about the size of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is designed to treat mid- to late-stage chronic heart failure patients. First clinical use of this system is planned in 2007. For more information on Orqis Medical, please visit http://www.orqis.com and for the MOMENTUM Trial, please visit: http://www.momentumtrial.com .
Note: Orqis, Cancion, and Exeleras are trademarks or registered trademarks of Orqis Medical Corporation.
Orqis Medical Corporation
CONTACT: media, Brian McIntee, Director of Marketing, +1-949-268-0184, orinvestors, John M. Markovich, Chief Financial Officer, +1-949-268-0552,both of Orqis Medical Corporation
