OnXLTI prepares to sell On-X Plus 1.5 Aortic Heart Valve
On-X LTI prepares European sales force to sell On-X® Plus 1.5™ Aortic Heart Valve
“While the On-X® Plus 1.5™ Aortic Heart Valve represents a new paradigm by which clinicians can manage their patients on a reduced dose of warfarin, we are proud to note that On-X has been successfully selling mechanical valves in Europe since July 1998.”
– Clyde Baker, CEO, On-X Life Technologies, Inc.
(Click here to view video corporate video.)
AUSTIN, TX — March 18, 2014 — Privately held On-X® Life Technologies, Inc. (On-X LTI) announced today that it has assembled its European sales force at a training symposium in Barcelona ahead of launching its international marketing campaign for the On-X Plus 1.5 Aortic Heart Valve.
In January, On-X LTI received European regulatory approval for an expanded labeling claim, which now permits the company to market its breakthrough mechanical heart valve in Europe with a reduced requirement for the use of blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin. The On-X® Plus 1.5™ Aortic Heart Valve is the only approved mechanical heart valve that allows patients to be managed at an INR (International Normalized Ratio) range between 1.5—2.0, a near-normal level. An INR blood test measures the time it takes for patients’ blood to clot.
“We fully expect that our On-X Plus 1.5 Aortic Heart Valve will be rapidly and broadly embraced by heart surgeons throughout Europe, not only by our current customers but also by new surgeons who want the best mechanical valve for their patients, because the On-X valve is the only mechanical valve with a clinically established 60% reduction in bleeding events with no increase in thromboembolic events at the lower warfarin dosage in the PROACT clinical trial, an FDA-approved multicenter study with over 1,400 patient years and 50,000 INR data points,” said Clyde Baker, President and CEO of On-X LTI.
“We have a long history of commitment to physicians and their patients who want the very best, safest mechanical valve available. We have assembled our international network in order to thoroughly prepare our sales associates for the increased demand for our state-of-the-art On-X Plus 1.5 valve,” added Baker. “Because it has been shown to be safe to use the On-X mechanical valve with low levels of warfarin, European patients and their surgeons now have a new valve alternative, and the initial response from clinicians has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The European expanded labeling claim was supported by interim data from a recently completed arm of an FDA IDE clinical trial—Prospective Randomized On-X Anticoagulation Clinical Trial (“PROACT”)—presented by principal investigator John D. Puskas, M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, at the annual scientific meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). These data demonstrated the safety of maintaining On-X® aortic heart valve patients on a reduced anticoagulation therapy regimen while decreasing bleeding complications by 60 percent.
About the On-X® Prosthetic Heart Valve
The On-X heart valve is the result of a breakthrough in medical grade carbon technology: On-X pure pyrolytic carbon. In addition to providing a more thromboresistant surface, the comparatively high strength of pure On-X Carbon has enabled On-X LTI to make significant valve design changes that have resulted in a prosthesis that acts more like a natural valve in its treatment of blood. Clinical studies have documented that the On-X valve does not produce the turbulence and blood damage commonly produced by other mechanical heart valve prostheses and, therefore, significantly reduces the potential for life-threatening blood clots, which is the basis of the expanded labeling claim recently granted to On-X LTI in the European Union.
About On-X LTI
On-X Life Technologies (On-X LTI) develops mechanical heart valve replacements that are designed to dramatically improve the quality of life of patients. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, On-X LTI is a privately held company. More information is located at www.onxlti.com.
# # #
Media Contact: Ronald Trahan, APR, Ronald Trahan Associates Inc., +1-508-359-4005, x108
On-X is a registered trademark of On-X Life Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective companies.
The approval of a lower INR recommendation through the EU regulatory process applies only within that jurisdiction and others that accept EU review. This therapy is not approved in the US or other countries that have reviews independent of the EU. In these countries On-X Life Technologies, Inc., continues to recommend standard anticoagulation therapy as presently prescribed by various professional societies for the On-X valve.1
On-X aortic and mitral valves are FDA approved. CAUTION: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. Refer to the Instructions for Use that accompany each valve for indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions and possible complications. CAUTION: Investigational use of this device in the Prospective Randomized On-X Valve Anticoagulation Trial (PROACT) is limited by federal law to investigational sites. For further information, visit www.onxlti.com.
- ACC/ AHA 2006 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the1998 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease): Developed in Collaboration With the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Endorsed by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Circulation 2006;114;84-231. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.176857
