CorMatrix Cardiovascular Receives Patent for Prosthetic Heart Valve Platform

CorMatrix Cardiovascular Inc. has received a U.S. patent for its prosthetic heart valve platform. The new valve patent further protects CorMatrix’s extensive prosthetic valve platform, which now consists of 27 issued patents, and more than 30 pending U.S. and international patent applications. The company’s Heart Valve platform portfolio embodies 33 unique valve designs. The prosthetic valve(s) are comprised of extracellular matrix (ECM) materials derived from multiple tissue sources, including, but not limited to, small intestine submucosa.

In addition, the new valve patent is one of 41 patents that were issued to CorMatrix in 2015 alone (though the latest wasn’t announced until early February). The issued patents cover multiple seminal CorMatrix technology platforms, including the aforementioned prosthetic heart valve platform, biomaterial delivery compositions, i.e. augmented ECM compositions, micronized biomaterial compositions (MiECM), biomaterial constructs, e.g. vascular prostheses, pericardial closure systems, and biomaterial in conjunction with ventricular assistance device (VAD) systems and methods.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) including: coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism represent the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. In recent studies, the American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that over one-third of Americans currently suffer from some form of CVD, and that over 40 million of those are over the age of 60.¹

“This rapid expansion of our IP will serve to protect CorMatrix in our core cardiovascular tissue regeneration market. We are particularly excited about the additions in the areas of heart failure, heart valves, and material constructs,” said Dr. Robert Matheny, chief scientific officer and co-founder of CorMatrix. “It is becoming increasingly apparent that damaged tissues and organs require an inductive scaffold for the cells, particularly stem cells, to be retained and function normally. We are seeing a steady production of both preclinical and clinical data supporting this concept that is enabling us to design products for specific uses. These concepts and patents are also currently being employed in our Tricuspid Valve and Ischemic Heart Failure clinical trials. Current developments will take us into percutaneous approaches for both.”

Patients with CVD diseases frequently need life-changing treatments, ranging from daily medications to surgical interventions such as pacemakers, stents, angioplasty or heart transplants.² CorMatrix Cardiac Tissue Repair, CorMatrix Pericardial Repair and Reconstruction, and CorMatrix Vascular Repair have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance and are used to repair, regrow and restore damaged cardiac and vascular tissues. The CorMatrix CanGaroo also has 510(k) clearance and is used to securely hold cardiac implantable devices. To date, these devices have been used in more than 135,000 cardiovascular procedures.

“With over 70 U.S. and foreign patents issued, and over 300 pending US and foreign patent applications directed to novel ECM based compositions, structures and methods, our position in the field of regenerative medicine continues to be substantial,” said David Camp, CEO and co-founder of CorMatrix. “Regenerative medicine and therapies represent a shifting paradigm in the way the world treats and cures disease. Our goal is to help pave the way to a healthier future. With these patents and our expanding portfolio of products, our devices will continue to represent and support this paradigm specifically in the treatment and cure of cardiovascular diseases.”

CorMatrix Cardiovascular is a privately held developer of biomaterial devices that harness the body’s own innate ability to repair damaged cardiac and vascular tissues. CorMatrix ECM Technology allows surgeons to restore the native anatomy of cardiac and vascular tissue in need of repair, serving as a superior alternative to synthetic or cross-linked materials. Headquartered in Roswell, Ga., the company is currently researching, developing and commercializing a platform technology known as CorMatrix ECM for a variety of cardiovascular and other indications, and has FDA clearance and European registration (with a CE Mark) for its ECM technology. Since its launch in 2006, CorMatrix ECM Technology has been used at more than 975 hospitals across the United States and has been implanted in more than 135,000 cardiovascular procedures.

References:

1. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2012 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association available at circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2011/12/15/CIR .0b013e31823ac046.full.pdf (published online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, December 15, 2011)

2. Mayo Clinic, “Heart Disease: Treatments and Drugs,” Mayo Clinic website, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/basics/definition/con-20034056