Invatec Receives FDA Clearance for Mo.Ma[R] Ultra Proximal Cerebral Protection Device.

Impressive Results of the ARMOUR Clinical Trial Demonstrated Low Stroke and Major Adverse Cardiac and Cerebrovascular Event Rates

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Invatec, a comprehensive innovator of interventional products, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Mo.Ma([R]) Ultra Proximal Cerebral Protection Device for use during carotid artery stenting (CAS). The device effectively reduces and captures debris released during the stenting procedure to prevent it from traveling to the brain, where it has the potential to cause a stroke.

"We are very pleased to announce the completion of the ARMOUR trial and FDA clearance of Mo.Ma Ultra," commented Andrea Venturelli and Stefan Widensohler, co-founders of Invatec. "We look forward to bringing this important product to the world's largest market. Mo.Ma Ultra offers US physicians and patients a tremendously safe and easy-to-use new option for embolic protection during the treatment of carotid stenoses."

Carotid stenting, a procedure that inserts wire mesh tubes to prop open the arteries and improve blood flow, is a common treatment for carotid artery disease, a condition caused by buildup of fatty substances and plaque. When the carotid arteries are obstructed, patients are at an increased risk for stroke, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Mo.Ma Ultra is a proximal protection device, which establishes full-time cerebral protection and control during the carotid stenting procedure prior to crossing the internal carotid artery (ICA) lesion, thereby preventing distal embolization. Small balloons on the tip and proximal shaft are inflated in the external carotid artery and the common carotid artery to suspend blood flow during the stenting process. These balloons act like endovascular surgical clamps, protecting the brain during the procedure. However the easy-to-use percutaneous Mo.Ma Ultra requires no surgery. Guide wires, stents and balloon catheters are used in this protected environment to treat the target lesion through the Mo.Ma Ultra Device, which provides stability, control and access to the internal carotid artery like a guiding catheter or sheath. The suspended blood is then aspirated along with any embolic debris to complete the procedure safely.

L. Nelson Hopkins, MD, of State University of New York in Buffalo and co-principal investigator of the ARMOUR trial stated, "Proximal embolic protection is an important advance that gives us more options in the treatment of carotid artery disease. The Mo.Ma Ultra combines the advantages of carotid endarterectomy with the minimally invasive benefits of carotid artery stenting."

ARMOUR CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS

Dr. Hopkins reported results of the pivotal, multi-center, non-randomized ARMOUR trial at VIVA 2009 in Las Vegas during the conference's late-breaking trials session on Thursday, October 22.

Results of the 262-patient ARMOUR trial support the safety and effectiveness of Mo.Ma Ultra for patients at high surgical risk for carotid endarterectomy undergoing CAS. Mo.Ma Ultra's full-time protection and control contributed to a low 30-day stroke rate of 2.3 percent and MACCE (Stroke, death and myocardial infarction) rate of 2.7 percent in the primary endpoint 220-patient population set. "The primary endpoint results of the ARMOUR trial are impressive and support the benefits of proximal protection. We look forward to the availability of Mo.Ma Ultra in the U.S. market," commented Gary Ansel, MD, of Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and co-principal investigator of the ARMOUR trial.

Mo.Ma Ultra Proximal Cerebral Protection Device is indicated as an embolic protection system to contain and remove embolic material (thrombus/debris) while performing angioplasty and stenting procedures involving lesions of the internal carotid artery and/or the carotid bifurcation. The reference diameter of the external carotid artery should be between 3 - 6 mm and the reference diameter of the common carotid artery should be between 5 - 13 mm.

"The ARMOUR trial further confirms the excellent data that has been historically generated by the Mo.Ma Device in thousands of patients around the world," commented Jack Springer, president of Invatec USA. Springer continued, "The ARMOUR trial also confirmed that the Mo.Ma device has virtually no learning curve, thereby providing physicians easy access to this technology and its benefits. Invatec continues to move forward with its stated goal of bringing innovative new endovascular products into the reach of US physicians."

About Invatec

Headquartered in Italy and with manufacturing in Italy and Switzerland, Invatec is one of the world's fastest growing companies in the design, development and production of interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular products for the treatment of coronary and peripheral arterial disease. Driven by research and technology, Invatec actively collaborates with physicians and centers of excellence to develop products that will improve life expectancy and quality of life for patients. Vertically integrated, Invatec also has the in-house ability to design, develop, manufacture and assemble its entire product offering from raw materials. As a result, the company has one of the largest therapeutic catheter product lines in the world, including 9 stent platforms, 6 angioplasty balloon platforms, 4 drug-eluting balloon platforms and accessory devices, now sold in over 70 countries.

Dedicated to "making ideas come alive," the company was founded in 1996 by Andrea Venturelli and Stefan Widensohler and has grown to almost 1,000 employees. For more information, visit www.invatec.com.