Ancora Takes on FMR and Heart Failure with AccuCinch

Ancora Heart is making a play for the functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) treatment market – which is currently populated by medtech juggernauts Abbott Laboratories and Edwards Lifesciences. The Santa Clara, CA-based company came closer to its goal to participate in the market after it received FDA approval to expand the enrollment for an early feasibility study of the AccuCinch. Ancora Heart said it can now enroll a second group of patients and expand to 15 heart centers across the U.S. “The AccuCinch System is a left ventricular repair technology and it really is a new category and class of therapy,” Jeff Closs, president and CEO of Ancora Heart, told MD+DI. “In the traditional FMR market technology is all focused on the valve, and we know the fundamental problem is the left ventricle is dilated and it has changed the geometry of the valve. Our approach is to target the fundamental cause of FMR, which is a dilated dysfunctional left ventricle.” AccuCinch is a transfemoral access catheter-based approach. The device can realign the geometry of the valvular apparatus, so it can function more efficiently. “Our goal in the U.S. is to continue to enroll in that study, which the primary endpoint or primary completion is FMR,” Closs said. The company said early findings show Ancora Heart’s technology could have some benefit for treating heart failure patients. “We’ll be submitting an additional protocol to FDA very shortly that will focus on heart failure,” ...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Cardiovascular Implants Source Type: news