WESTBURY, N.Y., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vasomedical, Inc. (“Vasomedical”) (OTCBB: VASO), a diversified medical technology company specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of medical devices for noninvasive cardiology including EECP® (Enhanced External Counterpulsation) Therapy systems, the gold standard of ECP therapy, announced today that its EECP Therapy has been given a lla Class of Recommendation in the 2013 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on the Management of Stable Coronary Artery Disease (SCAD). The guidelines were released during ESC’s annual meeting which took place from August 31 to September 3, 2013 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The IIa classification signifies that the weight of evidence and level of opinion are in favor of a treatment and, in this case, that physicians should consider EECP Therapy as a treatment option for patients suffering from refractory angina.
Last November, The American College of Cardiology Foundation and The American Heart Association (ACCF/AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines issued its new Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease. In this Guideline, EECP Therapy retained the same IIb Class of Recommendation rating it had received in the ACC/AHA 2002 Guideline Update for the Management of Patients with Chronic Stable Angina. The Company has been in active communication with the ACCF/AHA task force, as well as its guideline writing committee, requesting a review of more recent data than was referenced in the 2012 Guideline, for the purpose of upgrading EECP Therapy’s level of recommendation to lla in its future guideline.
“It is a breakthrough that EECP Therapy was included in the ESC Guidelines for the first time, and at the same time was given a level IIa recommendation, which means it ‘should be considered’ as a treatment option as opposed to ‘may be considered’ recommendation for a IIb rating,” said Dr. Jun Ma, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vasomedical, Inc. “We are pleased that the European Society of Cardiology has recognized the value and efficacy of this treatment, as has been demonstrated by many studies. On behalf of all heart patients, we thank the many physicians in the U.S. and Europe who have done great research on EECP Therapy and presented data to ESC for consideration.”
“Throughout the past decade, EECP Therapy has been offered to hundreds of thousands of patients in numerous centers and hospitals in the Unites States and abroad. During this time, we have gathered a wealth of data from many different studies, including randomized controlled trials published in peer-reviewed journals, and have received countless testimonials regarding an improvement to patients’ quality of life,” continued Dr. Ma. “We believe this treatment option should be made available to a wider patient base. Our responsibility is not only to support and improve this technology, but also to champion the patient who is not receiving this therapy and its benefits. Furthermore, we have a social obligation to support healthcare cost reduction through expanding role of EECP Therapy, which has been demonstrated in clinical literature to reduce re-hospitalizations and emergency room visits. We believe this high recommendation by ESC should help promote a broader acceptance of the EECP Therapy around the world.”
About Vasomedical
Vasomedical, Inc. is a diversified medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of medical devices and in the domestic sale of diagnostic imaging products. The Company’s main proprietary products are EECP® Therapy systems, the gold standard of ECP treatment. The Company operates through three wholly owned subsidiaries: VasoSolutions, Vasomedical Global and VasoHealthcare. VasoSolutions manages and coordinates the design, manufacture and sales of EECP® Therapy systems, and other medical equipment operations; Vasomedical Global operates the Company’s China-based subsidiaries; and VasoHealthcare is the operating subsidiary for the exclusive sales representation of GE Healthcare diagnostic imaging products in certain markets. Additional information is available on the Company’s website at www.vasomedical.com
Except for historical information contained in this release, the matters discussed are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. When used in this release, words such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “could”, “estimates”, “expects”, “may”, “plans”, “potential” and “intends” and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the Company’s management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company’s management. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: the effect of business and economic conditions; the effect of the dramatic changes taking place in the healthcare environment; the impact of competitive procedures and products and their pricing; medical insurance reimbursement policies; unexpected manufacturing or supplier problems; unforeseen difficulties and delays in the conduct of clinical trials and other product development programs; the actions of regulatory authorities and third-party payers in the United States and overseas; uncertainties about the acceptance of a novel therapeutic modality by the medical community; continuation of the GEHC agreement; and the risk factors reported from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of future events or developments.
Investor Contacts:
Todd Fromer / Garth Russell
KCSA Strategic Communications
212-896-1215 / 212-896-1250
tfromer@kcsa.com / grussell@kcsa.com
Media Contact:
Samantha Wolf
KCSA Strategic Communications
212-896-1220
swolf@kcsa.com
SOURCE Vasomedical, Inc.
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