- Five implants successfully accomplished at the Instituto Nacional de Torax in Santiago, Chile with advanced engineered heart valve, ZETA, designed to provide flexibility and optionality regardless of high, low or zero calcification.
- Record number of procedures to treat aortic regurgitation attributed to:
- Versatility of technology to broaden profile of eligible patients
- Single operator ease-of-use with cutting edge design and technology
- Significant unmet needs in the treatment of aortic regurgitation and evolution in treatment of aortic stenosis
IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Laguna Tech USA, a privately-held medical technology company dedicated to innovations in structural heart solutions to broaden useability and applicability for patients, today announced that a record number five patients were successfully treated at a single center on the same day with the ZETA Balloon Expandable Aortic Valve System to treat aortic valve disease. In all cases, patients achieved complete resolution of aortic disease with no residual stenosis or regurgitation immediately following the procedure, and all patients were discharged within 24-48 hours of the procedure. The high volume of procedures was made possible due to the versatility and flexibility of the novel design of the ZETA system, which provides greater ease of implantability for a broader patient population than currently approved valve systems. All five implants were accomplished on the same day at the Instituto Nacional de Torax in Santiago, Chile within the ongoing feasibility trial for the ZETA system.
The ZETA system is a novel balloon-expandable transcatheter valve with six expanding arms and a low profile covered delivery system.
Dr. Christian Dauvergne, Chief of Interventional Cardiology, Instituto Nacional de Torax, added, “Our ability to successfully implant the ZETA Aortic Valve in five patients with complex, diverse clinical profiles on a single day was due to the very simple and efficient design characterized by a low profile and straightforward transcatheter system, which allows for simple, advantageous placement in the heart. I look forward to the continued development of the ZETA device to explore the potential of this breakthrough technology to treat more patients with aortic regurgitation with unmet needs.”
The lead primary investigator, Dr. Scott Lim, a cardiologist from the University of Virginia noted, “The treatment of complex and diverse aortic valve disease patients at the center in Santiago was an impressive accomplishment, as was the highly reproducible landing of the ZETA valve relative to the aortic annulus, regardless of the degree or lack of calcium, which speaks to the potential of the balloon-expandable ZETA Aortic Valve. We treated patients both with severe, non-calcific aortic regurgitation as well as those with highly calcific aortic stenosis, and in all cases there was no paravalvar regurgitation. Additionally, by fluoroscopy, all implanted ZETA valves were consistently implanted within two millimeters of the annulus. I look forward to the upcoming pivotal clinical trials on the ZETA valve.”
“We are thrilled with this significant and rapid progress in the development of the ZETA valve,” said Gilbert Madrid, chief executive officer of Laguna Tech USA. “Together with the encouraging data we have generated with our other device, the ALPHA valve and its successful implants, we are making important advancements in realizing the promise of our next-generation, differentiated aortic valves. With two varying valve designs, each leveraging advanced technology and engineering of existing products on the market, we look forward to the potential of our technology to significantly expand the number of patients with aortic valve regurgitation who may be treated with our minimally invasive treatment options. We look forward to scaling this technology and moving into later stage clinical development so we can bring this technology to a greater population of patients.”
About the ZETA Aortic Valve System
The ZETA Aortic Valve is designed to restore heart function by placing leaflet-capture arms in the aortic cusps and placement of the valve within the annulus. The valve is balloon expanded into the annulus to form a new functioning valve, and seals by wrapping the native leaflets around the Zeta frame to prevent paravalvular leak. The system was invented by Laguna Tech USA with the first prototype entering preclinical development in 2022. The system is engineered with a unique design and materials to increase the versatility, simplicity, and positioning of the device in the annulus for improved placement within the patient.
About Laguna Tech USA
Laguna Tech USA is a privately held medical technology company focused on providing innovative, less invasive structural heart solutions to a significantly expanded group of patients who previously were excluded as candidates for transcatheter valve replacements. Laguna Tech USA believes its highly differentiated next-generation engineering offers versatility and flexibility, and therefore feasibility, of its valves in addressing diverse heart conditions across a broad population of patients. The company’s lead investigational devices for aortic regurgitation are the ALPHA Aortic Valve, a self-expanding valve, and the ZETA Aortic Valve, a balloon-expandable valve for aortic regurgitation.
Contact
Sylvia Wheeler
Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs
swheeler@wheelhouselsa.com
