NMT Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:NMTI), Boston, an advanced medical
technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets
proprietary implant technologies that allow interventional cardiologists
to treat structural heart disease through minimally invasive,
catheter-based procedures, has received conditional approval from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to its revised study hypothesis
and statistical plan in the CLOSURE I patent foramen ovale (PFO)/stroke
and transient ischemic attack (TIA) trial in the U.S. As part of the
revised plan, the company plans to enroll approximately 800 patients.
The original CLOSURE I statistical plan, approved by the FDA five years
ago, required an enrollment of 1,600 patients.
On March 2, 2007, NMT participated in a public and private FDA
advisory panel meeting to discuss the current status of the ongoing
PFO/stroke trials being sponsored by NMT and other companies. At the
close of the meeting, both the FDA and advisory panel concurred that
only randomized, controlled trials would provide the necessary data to
be considered for premarket approval (PMA) for devices intended for
transcatheter PFO closure in the stroke and TIA indication. During a
private session, NMT provided the FDA and advisory panel with a revised
study hypothesis and statistical plan to complete the CLOSURE I study as
a randomized controlled trial.
"The FDA's acceptance of our revised plan to complete
enrollment in the CLOSURE I study represents an important milestone for
NMT and the medical community," said President and CEO John E.
Ahern. "The revision is based on the recommendations made at the
recently held meeting. As a result of this decision, we believe that we
are now much closer to completing enrollment in CLOSURE I and thereby
understanding the PFO/stroke and TIA connection and the possibility that
treatment with a closure device may reduce the frequency of recurrent
events. The stroke and TIA indications, which have a potential market of
250,000 U.S. patients annually, have always been a major focus for the
company. As the leader in the PFO closure space, we are committed to
being the first company to complete a randomized controlled trial and to
submit a PMA for these indications. I want to acknowledge the tremendous
effort put forth by our investigators, our internal team, the clinical
community and the FDA in order to develop an appropriate revised plan
that accelerates the completion date for patient enrollment in the
CLOSURE I study."
Anthony Furlan, M.D., Associate Director Cerebrovascular Center,
Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, and the Principal Investigator
of CLOSURE I, said, "It is very important to obtain an answer to
the stroke/PFO connection based upon a randomized controlled clinical
trial. The Executive Committee and investigators are excited about the
recent FDA acceptance of a revised statistical plan and the prospects
for completing this important study. The answers from CLOSURE I will
help determine the best treatment for patients presenting with
cryptogenic stroke and TIA that also have a right to left shunt through
a PFO."
Ahern concluded, "To date, more than 650 patients have been
randomized in CLOSURE I. We are not aware of any other randomized stroke
and TIA studies as far along or with as much accumulated clinical
information. Based on the revised statistical plan, we currently expect
to complete enrollment by year end. Follow-up with the patients will
continue to be over a two-year period."
A PFO is a common heart defect that may be a potential risk factor
for stroke, migraine, TIA or other brain attacks in some patients. The
PFO allows venous blood, unfiltered and unmanaged by the lungs, to enter
the arterial blood circulation. CLOSURE I is NMT's pivotal clinical
trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the STARFlex(R)
technology in preventing recurrent stroke and/or TIA due to a presumed,
paradoxical embolism through a PFO.
About NMT Medical, Inc.
NMT Medical is an advanced medical technology company that designs,
develops, manufactures and markets proprietary implant technologies that
allow interventional cardiologists to treat structural heart disease
through minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures. NMT Medical is
currently investigating the potential connection between a common heart
defect that allows a right to left shunt or flow of blood through a
defect like a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and brain attacks such as
migraine headaches, embolic stroke and transient ischemic attacks
(TIAs). A common right to left shunt can allow venous blood, unfiltered
and unmanaged by the lungs, to enter the arterial circulation of the
brain, possibly triggering a cerebral event or brain attack. More than
23,000 PFOs have been treated globally with NMT's minimally
invasive, catheter-based implant technology.
The prevalence of migraines in the United States is about 10%. Of
the 28 million migraine sufferers in America, those who experience aura
and have a PFO may represent a three million patient subset. Stroke is
the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading
cause of disability in adults. Each year, 750,000 Americans suffer a new
or recurrent stroke and an additional 500,000 Americans experience a
TIA.
For more information about NMT Medical, visit
http://www.nmtmedical.com or call 617/737-0930.
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