Abiomed Announces European Approval (CE Marking) for Impella 5.5™ and First Patient Treated at University Heart Center Hamburg

DANVERS, Mass., Abiomed, Inc. a leading provider of breakthrough heart recovery and support technologies, announced today that the Impella 5.5™ heart pump received CE marking1 approval in Europe and the first patient was treated at University Heart Center in Hamburg, Germany. The Impella 5.5 heart pump further enhances Abiomed’s product portfolio and provides physicians a 30-day, ambulatory, wean-able, forward flow heart pump.

Under the leadership of Professor Hermann Reichenspurner, MD, PhD, Alexander Bernhardt, MD treated the first patient, who presented with ischemic cardiomyopathy, severe mitral regurgitation and an ejection fraction of 18%. The patient currently remains stable on Impella 5.5 support.

The Impella 5.5 heart pump has the ability to provide peak flows of greater than 6.0 liters per minute. It is designed to be implanted in the axillary artery, avoiding the need for a sternotomy and allowing for patient ambulation. The Impella 5.5 is approved in Europe for up to 30 days of support and can be adjusted to nine power levels that regulate flow to optimize weaning protocols. The Impella 5.5 device includes the new SmartAssist technology with optical sensor, which will enable the integration of clinical data informatics including Left Ventricular Pressure (LVP), End-Diastolic Pressure (EDP) and Cardiac Power Output (CPO) on the Impella console as well as real-time, exact positioning of the Impella device. Over the next fiscal year, Abiomed plans to launch the Impella 5.5 heart pump through a controlled roll-out at German hospitals with established heart recovery protocols. Abiomed will continue to collect data on Impella 5.5 user experience and patient outcomes through our German hospitals submitting clinical data in the global cVAD Registry study.

Data Supporting CE Marking Approval

The data submitted for this CE marking approval included pre-clinical data on the Impella 5.5 and incorporates the clinical experience from over 3,000 patients, most all with axillary implants treated with the Impella 5.0 device. The submission also included an analysis of 68 patients from Abiomed's FDA reviewed cVAD Registry study treated with Impella 5.0® or Impella LD® heart pumps and a literature review of eight papers identifying patients treated with the Impella 5.0. Additionally, Abiomed submitted an analysis of 17 patients enrolled in the RECOVER I prospective, multicenter FDA IDE study.

“The Impella 5.5 device is an easy to implant, minimally-invasive device that provides full cardiac flow and stabilizes the patient by increasing cardiac power output, unloading the left ventricle and perfusing the coronaries and end organs,” said Hermann Reichenspurner, MD, PhD, Professor and Chief, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart Center Hamburg. “This approval gives our cardiovascular community a new option for effectively treating severely ill patients.”

“We are excited about the Impella 5.5 and the impact of fully unloading the left ventricle,” said Michael R. Minogue, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Abiomed. "We commend the dedication of the team at University Heart Center Hamburg. The addition of the Impella 5.5 to the Impella platform of devices will further address the clinical needs of patients and physicians as we advance the field of heart recovery.”