Smaller, Smarter, Long-lasting Device Gives Patients a Reason To Believe There Is a Tomorrow

MARLTON, N.J., April 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Impulse Dynamics, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure (HF), is proud to announce today both FDA and CE Mark approval and the official commercial launch of the Optimizer® Smart Mini. This device, which will soon be available in both the United States and Europe, is 25 percent smaller and 33 percent lighter than the currently marketed Optimizer Smart.

“I’m excited about the potential of this device to improve quality of life in patients already on optimal medical therapy,” said Dr. Rhea Pimentel, Director of the Electrophysiology Lab at the University of Kansas Medical Center, who has already implanted the new CCM therapy device in a pre-market evaluation. “We’ve had a lot of experience with CCM using the Optimizer Smart device, but the next generation Optimizer Smart Mini CCM is simpler to implant and more comfortable for patients.”

“The Optimizer Smart Mini is a major advance for CCM therapy. The combination of a twenty-year battery life and heart failure diagnostic monitoring makes this an incredibly appealing option for patients with heart failure,” said Dr. Hirak Shah, a heart failure cardiologist at KUMC, and the physician who referred this patient for CCM therapy. “This type of innovation makes me very excited and optimistic about the future of device-based therapies in the field of heart failure.”

“Reducing the size of the device and extending its feature set while simultaneously extending its longevity took a great deal of ingenuity and cooperation,” said David Prutchi, Ph.D., Impulse Dynamics’ Chief Technology Officer and architect of the Optimizer Smart Mini platform. “This device utilizes an entirely new electronic chipset packaged into a compact, physiologically shaped implantable enclosure. The platform also includes a new, feature-rich programmer and charger designed to dramatically simplify the programming and use of the device.”

The new technology offers increased battery longevity of 20 years (compared to 15 years in the previous generation), advanced HF diagnostic monitoring capabilities (e.g., heart rate, heart rate variability, patient posture and position), and remote patient monitoring features that will be activated in the near future.

“The launch of the new platform is another sign of our commitment to helping HF patients live a better life,” said Jason Spees, Impulse Dynamics’ President and Chief Commercial Officer. “Earlier this week, we announced a very significant milestone, bringing hope to the 7,000th CCM patient worldwide. The commercial release of the Optimizer Smart Mini platform offers innovation that makes this therapy easier to use and helps us offer hope to many thousands more HF patients. This is one of many launches to come based on our commitment to a rapid cadence of product innovation to serve a patient population estimated to be at least twice the size of the patient population indicated for cardiac resynchronization therapy.”

The Optimizer Smart Mini delivers CCM therapy — the company’s proprietary technology — to the heart. CCM therapy has been designed by Impulse Dynamics to significantly improve heart contraction, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to be pushed out through the body. CCM therapy is indicated to improve 6-minute hall walk, quality of life, and functional status of NYHA Class III heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite guideline-directed medical therapy, are not indicated for CRT, and have a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 25 to 45 percent.

About the Optimizer® and CCM® Therapy

The Optimizer Smart system delivers CCM therapy — the company’s proprietary technology — to the heart. CCM therapy has been designed by Impulse Dynamics to significantly improve the heart’s contraction, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to be pushed out through the body. CCM therapy is indicated to improve the 6-minute hall walk, quality of life, and functional status of NYHA Class III heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite guideline-directed medical therapy, are not indicated for CRT, and have a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 25 to 45 percent.

CCM is the brand name for cardiac contractility modulation — the non-excitatory electrical pulses delivered by the implantable Optimizer device to improve heart contraction. CCM therapy sends unique electrical pulses to the heart cells during the absolute refractory period. In doing so, CCM helps the heart contract more forcibly. Impulse Dynamics has completed numerous clinical studies, including several randomized controlled trials, and CCM therapy has been published in more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles.

About Impulse Dynamics

Impulse Dynamics is dedicated to advancing the treatment of heart failure for patients and the healthcare providers who care for them. The company pioneered its proprietary CCM therapy, which uses the Optimizer platform to improve quality of life in heart failure patients. CCM therapy is delivered through the Optimizer system, which includes an IPG implanted in a minimally invasive procedure and approved for commercial use in the United States and 44 countries worldwide. CCM therapy has proven safe and effective for heart failure patients with debilitating symptoms who otherwise have few effective options available to them. To learn more, visit www.ImpulseDynamics.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘will,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘expect,’’ ‘‘plan,’’ ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘intend,’’ ‘‘target,’’ ‘‘project,’’ ‘‘contemplate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’ ‘‘estimate,’’ ‘‘predict,’’ ‘‘potential’’ or ‘‘continue’’ or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning potential benefits of CCM therapy, the continued momentum for the adoption of CCM therapy and use of the Optimizer Smart system globally; the ability for CCM therapy and our products and technology to fill a significant unmet medical need for patients with heart failure; and the short-term and long-term benefits of the Optimizer system and CCM therapy in patients with heart failure, as well as to the physicians treating those patients. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Other important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contemplated in this press release include, without limitation: the company’s future research and development costs, capital requirements and the company’s needs for additional financing; company’s ability to expand and grow its business into new geographic markets; commercial success and market acceptance of CCM therapy; the company’s ability to achieve and maintain adequate levels of coverage or reimbursement for its Optimizer systems or any future products the company may seek to commercialize; competitive companies and technologies in the industry; the company’s ability to expand its indications and develop and commercialize additional products and enhancements to its current products; the company’s business model and strategic plans for its products, technologies and business, including its implementation thereof; the company’s ability to expand, manage and maintain its direct sales and marketing organization; the company’s ability to commercialize or obtain regulatory approvals for CCM therapy and its products, or the effect of delays in commercializing or obtaining regulatory approvals; FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or the healthcare industry generally, including healthcare reform measures in the United States and international markets; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; and the company’s ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for CCM therapy and products or avoid claims of infringement. The company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements and expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

 

Impulse Dynamics (USA), Inc.
50 Lake Center Executive Park, 401 Route 73 N, ‐ Building 50 Suite 100
Marlton, NJ 08053
Phone: (856) 642‐9933
www.impulse‐dynamics.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

Harriss Currie
CFO
Impulse Dynamics
hcurrie@impulsedynamics.com
856-642-9933

MARKETING OPERATIONS: 

Rohan More
Global Vice President, Marketing
Impulse Dynamics
rmore@impulsedynamics.com
856-642-9933

PUBLIC RELATIONS:  

Ian Segal
Manager, Public Relations
Impulse Dynamics
isegal@impulsedynamics.com
856-642-9933