Baltimore, MD, May 7, 2015 – Harpoon Medical, a medical device company focused on minimally invasive mitral valve repair, announced today that it has enrolled the initial three patients in an Early Feasibility Study of its repair system for the minimally invasive, beating-heart treatment of MR. The initial first-in-human procedures were performed at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Jagiellonian University John Paul II Hospital, by the team of Krzysztof Bartus , Jerzy Sadowski, Boguslaw Kapelak, James Gammie, and Andrzej Gackowski.
Harpoon also announced that it has won the top award in Life Sciences for the “2015InvestMaryland” international business competition for startup and early-stage companies. A cash prize of $100,000 was presented to Harpoon Medical CEO Bill Niland at a recent award ceremony in Baltimore. The competition was sponsored by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), and there were 200 competitors across four categories.
Click here to see how the Harpoon MR Repair Device Works.
“While our ultimate goal is to demonstrate long-term durability of the Harpoon system, the fact is that major problems are most likely to occur in the first 30 to 60 days, and therefore we are extremely pleased by the strong clinical results to date with the initial three patients,” said James Gammie, M.D., founder of Harpoon Medical and Chief of Cardiac Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
“Unlike the aortic valve, where 90% of patients suffer from aortic stenosis and replacement is the preferred treatment option over open surgery, mitral valve disease has multiple etiologies, and repair is preferred over replacement to treat primary MR,” added Dr. Gammie. “Only about 20% of patients who could benefit get open heart surgery for MR.
For the remaining 80%, there is a compelling need for less-invasive mitral repair technologies. Our system is designed to change this unacceptable situation for patients suffering from MR.”
“The Harpoon system worked as expected,” added Bill Niland, CEO of Harpoon Medical. “The investigator was able to quickly and easily navigate to the desired location and deploy the Harpoon system’s neochords, which are designed to be easy to deliver and secured by a superior anchoring approach. We are very pleased with our clinical results thus far.
“We are also extremely pleased to be recognized by the Maryland DBED as a ‘company to watch,’” Niland said.
About Harpoon Medical
Based in Baltimore, Harpoon Medical is a privately held medical technology company that is developing the Harpoon system, designed to facilitate minimally invasive surgical repair and transform the treatment of mitral regurgitation (“MR”), the most common type of heart valve disease. If left untreated, MR can lead to debilitating and life-threatening conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, arrhythmias and congestive heart failure.
About Epidarex Capital
Epidarex Capital invests in early-stage, high growth life science and health technology companies in under-ventured markets within the UK and US. Epidarex was created to meet the need for more sector-specific risk capital for young companies, including spin-outs from leading research universities. The fund’s international management team has a track record of successfully partnering with scientists and entrepreneurs to develop highly innovative products for the global healthcare market. For further information please visit www.epidarex.com
CAUTION: The Harpoon system is approved for investigational use in Poland.
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Download Harpoon Medical Early Feasibility Study Press Release