Neovasc Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary of Tiara Patient as the Longest Surviving Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement in the World

NASDAQ, TSX: NVCN

VANCOUVER, Feb. 21, 2019 /CNW/ - Neovasc Inc. ("Neovasc" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: NVCN) (TSX: NVCN), a leader in the development of minimally invasive transcatheter mitral valve replacement technologies and in the development of minimally invasive devices for the treatment of refractory angina, today announced that a patient implanted with a Tiara™ transcatheter mitral valve replacement device (the "Tiara") has celebrated her fifth anniversary since undergoing the procedure.  The Company believes that this patient is the longest surviving transcatheter mitral valve replacement therapy recipient in the world.

Dr. Cheung stated, "This patient had a long history of ischemic cardiomyopathy with multiple heart failure hospitalizations.  She was referred to our heart failure program at St. Paul's Hospital for heart transplant evaluation.  Discussion with our Heart Team included the choice of either going onto the heart transplant list or receiving a very new technology, the Tiara.  We discussed the potential risks and benefits with her as she would be only the second patient in the world to receive this device.  She made the decision to move forward and successfully received the Tiara. As a result of receiving the Tiara device, the patient is alive and well, without mitral regurgitation (MR), has not required heart failure hospitalization and is clinically too well for heart transplantation.  At a recent follow-up, the patient showed a fully functional valve with a gradient of 3 mmHg and remains in NYHA I-II."  

The patient stated "I wish to express my sincere thanks to everyone that is helping bring the Tiara to patients.  I am so grateful for this technology and the hospital for giving me my life back".  

Fred Colen, Neovasc's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are pleased that this patient has had such a positive outcome after receiving a Tiara device five years ago, as it speaks directly to the long-term benefits that this technology offers MR patients. We look forward to continuing to treat additional patients and gain additional clinical experience in our Tiara Clinical studies."

At the time of the procedure, which was performed by Dr. Anson Cheung, Professor of Surgery and Director of Cardiac Transplant of British Columbia at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver Canada, the female patient was 60 years old and a high-risk candidate for surgery with severe MR. The Tiara valve was used to replace the patient's diseased native mitral valve.  Upon implantation the patient experienced immediate elimination of the MR without paravalvular leak, as well as an immediate increase in stroke volume and decrease in pulmonary pressure.  At her two-month follow-up, the patient demonstrated a marked improvement in symptoms compared to baseline, with a NYHA Functional Class II (mild) compared to a NYHA Class IV (severe) prior to the Tiara implantation.  The New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification is a standard method used for classifying the extent of heart failure symptoms and places patients in one of four categories based on their limitations in physical activity. As of the five-year anniversary of undergoing the Tiara implantation, this patient continues to report excellent prosthetic valve function, and is currently a NYHA Class I/II with significant improvement in quality of life.

About Tiara
Tiara is a self-expanding mitral bioprosthesis specifically designed to treat mitral valve regurgitation (MR) by replacing the diseased valve. Conventional surgical treatments are only appropriate for about half of MR patients, who number an estimated four million in the U.S. with a similar number of patients affected throughout Europe. Tiara is implanted in the heart using a minimally invasive, transapical transcatheter approach without the need for open-heart surgery or use of a cardiac bypass machine.

The Tiara valve is currently being evaluated in 2 ongoing clinical trials: TIARA-I—an early feasibility trial in the United States, Canada, and Belgium—and TIARA-II—a European Conformité Européenne Mark Trial in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In addition, patients have also been treated under compassionate programs in Canada, Italy, Germany, Israel, and Switzerland.

About Neovasc Inc.
Neovasc is a specialty medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for the rapidly growing cardiovascular marketplace. Its products include the Reducer, for the treatment of refractory angina, which is not currently commercially available in the United States and has been commercially available in Europe since 2015, and the Tiara™, for the transcatheter treatment of mitral valve disease, which is currently under clinical investigation in the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information, visit: www.neovasc.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws regarding beliefs as the longest surviving transcatheter mitral valve replacement therapy recipient being implanted with the Tiara and the rapidly growing cardiovascular marketplace. Words and phrases such as "continue", "strategy", "goal", "would", "may", "could", "should", "expect" and "will", and similar words or expressions, are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors and assumptions could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; risks relating to the warrants (the "Warrants") and senior secured convertible notes (the "Notes") issued pursuant to the November 2017 underwritten public offering and concurrent private placement (together, the "2017 Financings"), resulting in significant dilution to the Company's shareholders; risks relating to the Company's need for significant additional future capital and the Company's ability to raise additional funding; risks relating to cashless exercise and adjustment provisions in the Warrants and Notes issued pursuant to the 2017 Financings, which could make it more difficult and expensive for the Company to raise additional capital in the future and result in further dilution to investors; risks relating to the sale of a significant number of common shares of the Company; risks relating to the exercise of Warrants or conversion of Notes issued pursuant to the 2017 Financings, which may encourage short sales by third parties; risks relating to the possibility that the Company's common shares may be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market or the Toronto Stock Exchange, which could affect their market price and liquidity; risks relating to the Company's common share price being volatile; risks relating to the influence of significant shareholders of the Company over the Company's business operations and share price; risks relating to the Company's significant indebtedness, and its effect on the Company's financial condition; risks relating to claims by third parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights; risks relating to lawsuits that the Company is subject to, which could divert the Company's resources and result in the payment of significant damages and other remedies; the Company's ability to establish, maintain and defend intellectual property rights in the Company's products; risks relating to results from clinical trials of the Company's products, which may be unfavorable or perceived as unfavorable; the Company's history of losses and significant accumulated deficit; risks associated with product liability claims, insurance and recalls; risks relating to use of the Company's products in unapproved circumstances, which could expose the Company to liabilities; risks relating to competition in the medical device industry, including the risk that one or more of the Company's competitors may develop more effective or more affordable products; risks relating to the Company's ability to achieve or maintain expected levels of market acceptance for the Company's products, as well as the Company's ability to successfully build its in-house sales capabilities or secure third-party marketing or distribution partners; the Company's ability to convince public payors and hospitals to include the Company's products on their approved products lists; risks relating to new legislation, new regulatory requirements and the efforts of governmental and third-party payors to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare; risks relating to increased regulation, enforcement and inspections of participants in the medical device industry, including frequent government investigations into marketing and other business practices; risks associated with the extensive regulation of the Company's products and trials by governmental authorities, as well as the cost and time delays associated therewith; risks associated with post-market regulation of the Company's products; health and safety risks associated with the Company's products and industry; risks associated with the Company's manufacturing operations, including the regulation of the Company's manufacturing processes by governmental authorities and the availability of two critical components of the Reducer; risk of animal disease associated with the use of the Company's products; risks relating to the manufacturing capacity of third-party manufacturers for the Company's products, including risks of supply interruptions impacting the Company's ability to manufacture its own products; risks relating to the Company's dependence on limited products for substantially all of the Company's current revenues; risks relating to the Company's exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates; risks relating to the possibility that the Company could lose its foreign private issuer status under U.S. federal securities laws; risks relating to breaches of anti-bribery laws by the Company's employees or agents; risks associated with future changes in financial accounting standards and new accounting pronouncements; risks relating to the Company's dependence upon key personnel to achieve its business objectives; the Company's ability to maintain strong relationships with physicians; risks relating to the sufficiency of the Company's management systems and resources in periods of significant growth; risks associated with consolidation in the health care industry, including the downward pressure on product pricing and the growing need to be selected by larger customers in order to make sales to their members or participants; risks relating to the Company's ability to successfully identify and complete corporate transactions on favorable terms or achieve anticipated synergies relating to any acquisitions or alliances; risks relating to the Company's ability to successfully enter into fundamental transactions as defined in the Series C warrants issued pursuant to the 2017 Financings; anti-takeover provisions in the Company's constating documents which could discourage a third party from making a takeover bid beneficial to the Company's shareholders; and risks relating to conflicts of interests among the Company's officers and directors as a result of their involvement with other issuers. These risk factors and others relating to the Company are discussed in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F and in Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements beyond required periodic filings with securities regulators, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Neovasc Inc.

Chris Clark, Chief Financial Officer, Neovasc Inc., 604 248-4138, [email protected]; Jeremy Feffer, LifeSci Advisors, LLC, 212-915-2568, [email protected]

Related Links

www.neovasc.com