Here’s a roundup of recent clinical trial news:
Abiomed
Genzyme pares Abiomed stake
Abiomed launches training program for heart pumps
Abiomed Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD) started a new education program for hospitals.
The Danvers, Mass.-based company is selecting healthcare institutions to be training centers for its Impella cardiac assist devices. Abiomed wants hospitals to adopt protocols that include the early administration of its heart pumps for patients with distressed hearts. Abiomed said use of its devices reduces re-admissions and improves heart muscle recovery.
Abiomed Reports Updated USpella Results at TCT 2010
PRESS RELEASE
Abiomed, Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD), a leading provider of breakthrough heart support technologies, today announced updated clinical data from USpella, a U.S. multicenter, observational registry of Impella 2.5 patients.
The new updates, presented today at TCT 2010 reported that 24 U.S. and Canadian centers have contributed data for a total of 352 patients. The USpella registry results were last announced on May 15, 2010 at EuroPCR 2010.
Clinical trial roundup: Abiomed, Elixir Medical, ImThera Medical
Three companies — Abiomed Inc., Elixir Medical Inc. and ImThera Medical Inc. — are touting the results of clinical trials:
Annals of Thoracic Surgery Publishes U.S. Registry Results for Abiomed AB5000(TM) Ventricular Assist Device
PRESS RELEASE
Results from the U.S. registry of Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD), AB5000 patients were recently published in the September 2010 issue of TheAnnals of Thoracic Surgery.
Abiomed announces first Impella use in Canada
Abiomed Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD) announced the first use of its Impella RP cardiac assist pump north of the border.
Dr. Anson Cheung of Vancouver-based Providence Heart and Lung Institute performed the procedure, which involves the percutaneous insertion of the device into the heart’s right ventricle.
Former Guidant chief Dollens quits Abiomed board
Ronald Dollens, the former president and CEO of Guidant Corp., is walking away from his board seat at Abiomed Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD) with one year left on his term, according to documents filed with the federal Securities & Exchange Commission.
Dollens, who joined the board of the Danvers, Mass.-based heart pump maker in 2006, was set to have his board term expire in 2011, but evidently decided to step down before his term expired.
Abiomed sales jump 11 percent on Impella sales
Abiomed Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD) boasted a sales bump of 11 percent as revenues from its Impella heart pumps reached record numbers during the first quarter of the company’s fiscal 2011.
The Danvers, Mass.-based cardiac assist device maker, reported net losses of $6.0 million, or 16 cents per share, on sales of $22 million during the three months ended June 30. That compares with net losses of $7.8 million, or 21 cents per share, on sales of $19.9 million during the same period last year.
MassDevice Q&A: Abiomed CEO Michael Minogue
Abiomed Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD) makes cardiac assist devices powerful enough to pump more than a gallon of blood through the heart each minute and small enough to be placed inside the heart via catheter. It’s a highly specialized, highly competitive market that’s difficult to break into.
At an investors meeting in Boston last week, the company sought to deliver the message that its devices offer a less invasive option than ventricular assist devices and don’t need to be combined with inotropic drugs as is often the case with intra-aortic balloon pumps. It’s been two years since Abiomed won 510(k) clearance from the Food & Drug Administration for its Impella 2.5 device; at the conference, CTO Dr. Thorsten Siess acknowledged that physicians have been slow to adopt the device.
UPDATE: Abiomed re-states Q4 results, vaults to nearly $1 million in profits
Abiomed Inc. (NSDQ:ABMD) re-stated its fourth-quarter sales and earnings numbers, resulting in a nearly $1 million boost to its bottom line.
The Danvers, Mass.-based cardiac assist device maker said it failed to account for about $800,000 in reduced operating expenses from its exit from a building lease in Athlone, Ireland. That boosted profits for the fourth quarter from $193,000, or 1 cent per share, to $975,000, or 3 cents per share. That compares with a net loss of $8.5 million, or 23 cents per share, for Q4 2009.