Direct Flow Medical has announced that both the US Patent and Trademark Office and the Japanese Patent Office have awarded the company patents for its proprietary design of a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system.
According to a Direct Flow Medical press release, the company’s proprietary technology encompasses a distinctive transcatheter aortic heart valve with a metal-free frame and flexible, low-profile delivery system that virtually eliminates aortic regurgitation. It added that the Direct Flow Medical TAVI system is designed to address post-procedural aortic regurgitation by allowing complete assessment of haemodynamic performance, repositioning and retrieval after the valve is fully deployed in the native valve annulus. The system is designed to improve the long term survivability of patients by resolving the clinical issues associated with current commercial valves.
“Our unique solution to the major clinical issues associated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement has enabled us to build an impressive intellectual property portfolio,” said Gordon Bishop, Direct Flow Medical’s chief technology officer, co-founder and inventor of the two recently awarded patents. “With issued US and foreign patents, our intellectual property portfolio has global breadth, and we intend to continue to expand it as we develop and refine additional technologies.”
The Company now has 13 issued US patents and 24 additional patent applications filed in the US or under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. It recently received a CE Mark for the Direct Flow Medical system and is currently commercialising two sizes of valves, 25mm and 27mm.
