Abiomed Inc.’s (NSDQ:ABMD) Impella cardiac assist device is turning into a star for the Danvers, Mass.-based company, which said preliminary third-quarter sales jumped 32 percent.
That’s largely due to the Impella device, a tiny pump that’s threaded into a patient’s heart to help it pump blood. The device continued to shine during the three months ended Dec. 31, delivering a 116 percent U.S. sales surge (to $14.5 million) and an 81 percent increase in overseas sales (to $15.9 million), compared with the same period last year.
If the preliminary sales numbers hold until Abiomed releases its complete third-quarter results Feb. 4, it will mark a 14 percent jump over second-quarter Impella sales of $20 million. Overall sales were $22.8 million during the just-ended quarter.
Non-Impella sales were about $6.9 million, the company said, down 18 percent compared with Q3 2009 but up 1 percent over the second quarter of fiscal 2010.
Abiomed’s Impella 5.0 and Impella LD devices won 510(k) clearance from the Food & Drug Administration in April, 2009. Since then, a series of studies examining various versions of the device has delivered positive results.