ACC ’18 Roundup: Abbott releases long-term HeartMate 3 data

Abbott (NYSE:ABT) touted two-year data yesterday from its trial designed to compare the company’s HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device to its HeartMate 2 device in patients with advanced heart failure.

Data from the study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session.

More than 1,000 patients participated in the study. Researchers assessed the trial’s participants for a short-term endpoint of six months and long-term endpoint of two years.

The two-year cohort met its primary endpoint, achieving 77.9% event-free survival – topping the 56.4% rate seen in patients treated with the HeartMate II LVAD.

Patients treated with the HeartMate 3 device had a survival rate of 82.8% after two years, compared to 76.2% for the HeartMate II group. Abbott also reported that low pump thrombosis rates remained low at 1.2% for the HeartMate 3 group, with no reoperations or pump replacements needed at two years.

Finally, the stroke rate in the HeartMate 2 group was 19% compared to just 10% for the patients treated with HeartMate 3.

“The long-term data for the pivotal Momentum 3 trial demonstrate overall survival of 83% at 2-years and marked improvement in clinical outcomes for our patients suffering with advanced heart failure,” Dr. Mandeep Mehra, medical director of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center, said in prepared remarks. “We have seen greater pump durability—mostly driven by an absence of confirmed pump thrombosis—as well as a significantly lowered stroke rate without an increase in other adverse events.”

“As the leader in LVAD therapy, our goal is to provide patients with life-changing health technology that minimizes risk and offers them an enhanced quality of life. Data from the Momentum 3 study show Abbott’s significant progress in LVAD innovation and how it’s improving patient health outcomes,” Dr. John O’Connell, medical director for Abbott’s mechanical circulatory support business, added.

Abbott’s HeartMate 3 LVAD has CE Mark clearance in the E.U. and is approved by the FDA in the U.S. for short-term use. The company plans to use data from its Momentum 3 trial to support an regulatory bid for a long-term indication for HeartMate 3 in the U.S.

NEXT: Philips touts NEJM study on iFR v. FFR