Registry Data Presented at EuroPCR 2013 Confirms the Neovasc Reducer™ Improves Cardiovascular Parameters in Refractory Angina Patients

-Initial Data from Patient Registries Shows the Reducer Significantly Improves Angina Scores at Six Months Post-Implantation-

TSX Venture Exchange: NVC

PARIS and VANCOUVER, May 21, 2013 /CNW/ - Neovasc Inc. (TSXV: NVC), a developer of novel technologies to treat vascular disease, today reported initial data from open label patient Registries that are tracking the progress of refractory angina patients implanted with the Neovasc Reducer^TM, a novel percutaneous device that is CE marked in the European Union for the treatment of refractory angina.  The data were presented at EuroPCR 2013, the annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.

Neovasc Medical Director Professor Shmuel Banai, who is also Associate Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and Director of Interventional Cardiology at Tel Aviv Medical Center, presented six-month follow up data from 15 Registry patients showing that their angina and physical disability were significantly improved after Reducer implantation.  Among other measures, patients were assessed on the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) grading scale, which is widely used to describe and classify the severity of effort-related angina.  Despite the small size of this sample, the change in CCS scores was highly statistically significant compared to baseline (p=<.001).  Patient subsets who received stress thallium and echo dobutamine testing also showed significant improvement with the Neovasc Reducer.

Professor Banai commented, "We consider these results very encouraging.  In these initial Registry patients, quality of life improved as average angina scores were substantially reduced, signalling a significant improvement in their ability to engage in daily activities without limiting chest pain. We also are seeing significant improvements in stress-related objective imaging measures, as well as trends suggesting that improvements in treadmill stress testing results will reach significance as our Registry population continues to grow.  Consistent with other experience to date, the Reducer appears very safe, with no reports of serious safety issues."

The Neovasc Reducer is a percutaneous device designed to treat patients who suffer from refractory angina, which occurs when there is an inadequate supply of blood to the heart muscle. Refractory angina affects millions of patients worldwide. These patients experience severe chest pain from even minor physical exertion, and therefore lead restricted lives.  The Reducer provides relief from symptoms by altering blood flow in the coronary sinus vein and thereby increasing perfusion of oxygenated blood to certain areas of the heart muscle. The Reducer is inserted using a percutaneous procedure that is similar to implanting a stent and takes less than 20 minutes.

Neovasc CEO Alexei Marko noted, "These promising data from Reducer Registry patients are consistent with previous studies, which showed that refractory angina patients receiving the Reducer continued to show improvements in angina-related symptoms three years post-implantation.  We expect definitive data from our COSIRA study in the coming months, which should enable us to plan for broader commercialization in Europe and to further assess options for regulatory review and commercialization in the U.S."

Professor Banai presented "The Coronary Sinus Reducer--a Device Based Therapy for Refractory Angina: Efficacy and Safety Results from the Ongoing Open Label Registry," at the Outcome in Contemporary Coronary Intervention session held today at EuroPCR from 12:30 - 2:00pm.

About EuroPCR
EuroPCR is the official annual meeting of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.  EuroPCR 2013 is being held in Paris, France May 21-24, 2013. For information, visit www.europcr.com.

About Neovasc Inc.
Neovasc Inc. is a specialty medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for the rapidly growing global cardiovascular marketplace.  Its products include the Neovasc Reducer™ for the treatment of refractory angina and the Tiara™ transcatheter mitral valve replacement device in development for the treatment of mitral regurgitation.  In addition, Neovasc's advanced biological tissue products are widely used as key components in a variety of third-party medical products, such as transcatheter heart valves.  For more information, visit: www.neovasc.com.

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SOURCE: Neovasc Inc.