Berlin Heart's EXCOR® Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Post Approval Study Protocol Approved

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Berlin Heart Group announced today that the FDA has granted approval for their Post Approval Study, a condition of the "Humanitarian Device Exemption" (HDE) approval that Berlin Heart received for the EXCOR^® Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) on December 16^th, 2011.

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The Berlin Heart EXCOR® Pediatric VAD is a mechanical cardiac support system for critically ill pediatric patients suffering from severe heart failure. The system is designed to support pediatric patients of all age groups, from newborns to teenagers, and is intended to bridge patients awaiting heart transplantation from days to several months, until a donor heart becomes available. The Berlin Heart EXCOR® Pediatric VAD, which is also approved for use in Europe and Canada, is the only Ventricular Assist Device that is designed specifically for the pediatric population to be approved in the United States.

The purpose of the Post Approval Study for the EXCOR® Pediatric VAD is to evaluate whether safety and outcomes of the device in the commercial setting are comparable to the safety and outcomes of the device in the IDE study.  The study will be an "all-comers" prospective study for pediatric patients who are transplant eligible, in need of mechanical circulatory support and who consent to be enrolled into the study. The study will enroll at least 39 subjects implanted with the device per device labeling, who consent to be enrolled at any implanting site with IRB approval for participation. 

Bob Kroslowitz, President and CEO of Berlin Heart's North American operations, said: "Being granted the approval to begin this Study, we are now able to complete the final condition of the HDE approval. As the EXCOR® Pediatric had extensive use prior to the HDE approval (available to all North American sites who requested the device under compassionate use regulations), it is expected that the pre-approval and post-approval experience will be similar. With the continued support of our implanting sites, we hope to complete this Study and satisfy the final condition of the HDE approval quickly."

About Berlin Heart
Berlin Heart GmbH is the only company worldwide that develops, produces, and distributes implantable and external ventricular assist devices (VADs) for patients of every age and body size. The company offers pumps, cannulas, and external components for internal and external use to stabilize cardiac activity in acutely ill patients. Its products are market leaders in their respective segments in Germany and in Europe. The company also manufactures the implantable left ventricular assist device INCOR®, which has been designed for long-term application in adult patients. INCOR® is not FDA-approved, but widely used in Europe.

Berlin Heart Inc., the company's US subsidiary, was founded in 2005 to support the North American centers. Further product information is available from the company website: www.berlinheart.com.

Contact:
Berlin Heart Inc.
Jennifer Braughton
200 Valleywood, Suite A500
The Woodlands, TX 77380
[email protected] 
Phone: 281-863-9700
Fax: 281-863-9701

SOURCE Berlin Heart