VANCOUVER, Nov. 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via NEWMEDIAWIRE — Neovasc, Inc. (“Neovasc” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ, 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 it intends to submit a full Premarket Approval application (“PMA”) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for its Neovasc Reducer™ (“Reducer”) medical device for the treatment of refractory angina before the end of 2019.
Neovasc has been meeting with the FDA to discuss potential options to bring Reducer to the U.S. market. Following the last Sprint discussion held with the FDA on October 9, 2019 and weighing all available options a final decision was made by the Company to pursue a full PMA application for this Breakthrough medical device.
“We believe that the totality of clinical evidence from the COSIRA study, REDUCER-I European Post-Market study (with over 200 of 400 patients enrolled), and multiple independent studies published in peer-reviewed journals, will provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness to support a PMA. Neovasc plans to submit the PMA application prior to the end of 2019 with a request for an Advisory Panel meeting,” said Fred Colen, President and CEO of Neovasc. “While any pathway to U.S. market approval by the FDA carries considerable risk, we believe the full PMA application pathway brings the best chance of success within reasonable cost and time constraints. After evaluating the different options, we concluded that the Humanitarian Use Device (“HUD”) pathway would likely not be a viable option based on the definition of an HUD device within the FDA Guidance and that the PMA pathway would be our best option to bring Reducer to the U.S. market to treat refractory angina patients. While an additional post-market study will most likely be needed and the body of real-world evidence continues to grow, the Company believes that the clinical evidence already available will be sufficient to not further delay the availability of this Breakthrough medical device for the treatment of U.S. patients.”
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 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 Tiara™, for the transcatheter treatment of mitral valve disease, which is currently under clinical investigation in the United States, Canada, Israel and Europe. For more information, visit: www.neovasc.com.
Investors
Mike Cavanaugh
Westwicke/ICR
Phone: +1.646.877.9641
Mike.Cavanaugh@westwicke.com
Media
Sean Leous
Westwicke/ICR
Phone: +1.646.677.1839
Sean.Leous@icrinc.com
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
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 relating to Neovasc’s intention to submit a full PMA for Reducer before the end of 2019, its belief that the totality of existing clinical evidence will provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness to support a PMA, its belief that the PMA pathway offers the best chance of success within reasonable costs and time constraints compared to the other options the Company had been considering, and the rapidly growing cardiovascular marketplace. These forward-looking statements are identified by the words and phrases “intends”, “believe”, “will”, “plans”, “best chance of success”, “would”, and similar expressions. Many factors and assumptions could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by its forward-looking statements. In particular, as noted above, any pathway to U.S. market approval by the FDA carries considerable risk, and there can be no assurance that the PMA will be approved by the FDA in a timely manner or at all. For example, the FDA may not agree with the Company’s belief that the totality of existing clinical evidence will provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness to support a PMA. There could be unforeseen developments that cause a delay in the filing of the PMA beyond 2019. In addition, the Company’s expectations regarding the PMA pathway bringing the best chance of success within reasonable cost and time constraints compared to the other options the Company had been considering could prove to be incorrect. In the event that the PMA is approved by the FDA, there can be no assurance that Neovasc will be successful in commencing commercialization of Reducer in the United States on a timely basis or at all, or of the total addressable market size for Reducer. Other risks that could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by its forward looking statements include, without limitation, risks relating to the possibility that the Company’s common shares may be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market or the Toronto Stock Exchange, including Nasdaq’s discretionary public interest authority to apply more stringent criteria for continued listing or suspend or delist securities, which could affect their market price and liquidity; the substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; risks relating to the senior secured convertible notes (the “Notes”) issued pursuant to the November 2017 private placement (the “2017 Financing”), 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 Notes issued pursuant to the 2017 Financing, 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 conversion of the senior secured convertible Notes issued pursuant to the 2017 Financing, which may encourage short sales by third parties; risks relating to the Company’s conclusion that it did not have effective internal control over financial reporting as at December 31, 2018; 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 Notes 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 the Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 (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.
