Medicine ReEnvisioned™

ABOUT CVRx

Company Overview

CVRx is a private company located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company has developed proprietary active implantable technology for the treatment of high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension, and heart failure. The CVRx senior management and technical team have many years of experience commercializing implantable medical devices. The company is well financed and supported by an outstanding board of directors. They have established a world-class scientific advisory board, which includes thought leading physicians and scientists in the field of hypertension and heart failure.

 

Hypertension affects over 73 million people in the United States and is estimated to cause 1 in every 8 deaths worldwide1 It is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, morbidity and mortality. It is a costly disease and yearly costs to treat hypertension in the United States are estimated to be $69.4 billion1 Twenty-five percent of people with hypertension cannot adequately control their hypertension with medications and lifestyle modifications 2, 3 It is a disease that needs new treatment solutions.

 

Heart failure affects over 5 million people in the United States and is associated with a high risk of dying, with a five-year mortality rate of 74%.4,5 It  has a severe impact on quality of life with symptoms including: general fatigue and weakness; shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and ankles. It is also a costly disease, with an estimated direct and indirect costs of $37.2 billion annually in the United States.6 There are no proven treatments available today that improve the function of the heart in individuals with heart failure caused by heart filling problems, also called diastolic heart failure. Diastolic heart failure accounts for up to 50% of heart failure cases.7

 

CVRx has developed an implantable device to that is designed to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. This new device is called the Rheos® System. The Rheos System uses CVRx patented Baroreflex Activation Therapy® (BAT®) technology to trigger the body's own natural blood flow regulation system to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. CVRx has a strong intellectual property foundation, which will protect the unique BAT technology. This product is currently under clinical evaluation in the United States for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart failure. The Rheos System is CE Marked and approved for sale for hypertension patients in Europe.

Sources:

(1) Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics. American Heart Association - 2009 Update.

(2) Prospective Studies Collaboration. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet 2002;360:1903-1913.

(3) Chobian AV. JAMA 2003;289:2560-2572.

(4) Lloyd-Jones DM, Larson MG, Leip EP, et al. for the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2002;106:3068-3072.

(5) Owan TE, Hodge DO, Herges RM, et al. N Engl J Med 2006;355:251-259.

(6) Lee DS, Gona P, et al. Circulation 2009;119:3070-3077.

(7) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Health Care Financing Review: Medicare & Medicaid Statistical Supplement. Table 5.5: Discharges, Total Days of Care, and Program Payments for Medicare Beneficiaries Discharged from Short-Stay Hospitals, by Principal Diagnoses Within Major Diagnostic Classifications (MDCs): Calendar Year 2006. Baltimore, MD: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; 2005.