Massachusetts medical device company Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) reported positive clinical results for the 1st Canadian patients implanted with the company’s Symphony device, a minimally invasive pump designed to slow the progression of heart failure and help the heart remodel.
A pair of patients received the Symphony implant in September and showed an improvement over 28 days in hemodynamics and physical functionality based on support via a "pacemaker-like" implantation technique, the company said. The trial was performed by Dr. Renzo Cecere at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
"We are encouraged to learn of the 2nd patient’s results with Symphony and believe this unique implantable heart pump will offer a minimally invasive, cost-effective approach to improve hemodynamics for these types of chronic heart failure patients," president & CEO Michael Minogue said in prepared remarks. “We look forward to continued clinical progress in Canada and France."
Abiomed recently received Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament approval for clinical trials of Symphony device in France, where some hospitals are already being trained to implant the devices during clinical investigations.
Abiomed unveiled Symphony, its new implantable heart pump for the treatment of patients with chronic moderate heart failure, last November during the the American Heart Assn.’s conference in Florida.
Symphony is designed as a low-cost alternative for New York Heart Association Class III heart failure patients who respond poorly to standard treatments. Danvers, Mass.-based Abiomed’s implanted cardiac device is the 1st designed for heart recovery and remodeling.
Symphony’s simple design means a lower price tag than conventional therapies, and the minimally invasive procedure should lead to a shorter hospital stays, the company has said.
The Symphony device is not yet available for sale or use in the U.S. The device is currently used in clinical investigations in Canada and France.