Aria CV Pulmonary Hypertension Acquires $31 Million for Feasibility Study - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology
Aria CV Pulmonary Hypertension Acquires $31 Million for Feasibility Study - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology |
| Posted: 27 Feb 2020 11:43 AM PST  February 27, 2020 — Aria CV Inc. completed a $31 million Series B round of financing to fund its first clinical study in the United States for an implantable device to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The funding will support an U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) early feasibility investigational study designed to evaluate long term implants of the Aria CV Pulmonary Hypertension System (Aria CV PH System) in PAH patients. The Series B funding close comes just one week after the Aria CV PH System was granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA, which is intended to expedite the FDA review and approval of designated devices that may provide more effective treatment of life-threatening diseases. The financing was led by Xeraya Capital, a private equity and venture investor in life sciences that focuses on medical technologies, healthcare biotechnology, and bio-renewables. Also participating in the financing were Longview Ventures, Catalyst Health Ventures, BioStar Ventures, Cedar Point Capital, Frontcourt Group, and three strategic investors. "We've worked with Aria CV for several years and are excited for the opportunity to lead this financing," said Jason Rushton, Partner at Xeraya Capital. "There is an unmet clinical need with patients suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension, and we are impressed with the promising results the Aria CV PH System has demonstrated. We look forward to being a supportive partner." PAH is a progressive and highly debilitating disease that often leads to heart failure. The implanted Aria CV PH System is designed to restore the benefits of a healthy, elastic pulmonary artery, which in turn reduces cardiac workload and enhances blood flow. This technology has the potential to improve both duration and quality of life as well as healthcare economics. "Aria CV is now well positioned to drive our clinical research forward," said Dan Gladney, CEO and President of Aria CV. "We are grateful for this validation by our investors and remain committed to bringing this innovative treatment option to PAH patients." As part of this financing, Jason Rushton will join Darshana Zaveri (Catalyst Health Ventures), Maria Berkman (Longview Ventures), Renee Masi (BioStar Ventures) and Dan Gladney, on the Board of Directors. What is Pulmonary Hypertension?Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, a condition which causes increased workload on the heart, leading to right heart failure. In a common form of the disease, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension affects mostly women often in the prime of life. Even with currently approved therapy, it is considered a deadly progressive disease. Read the related article "Aria CV Receives FDA Breakthrough Designation for Device to Treat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension." Fore more information: www.ariacv.com  |
| Posted: 07 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST  Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be a severe and potentially debilitating complication in patients with chronic left-sided heart failure (HF). In a review published in Heart Failure Clinics, researchers from Germany and Italy provided recommendations on assessment and an overview of targeted management strategies that may be helpful for these patients. The presence of PH in patients with left-sided HF can confer poor prognosis and survival, making appropriate assessment of the condition crucial for optimizing outcomes. According to the researchers, right heart catheterization or a fluid challenge may be indicated in some patients at intermediate risk in an effort to obtain a correct diagnosis. A pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) of ≥15 mm Hg is a mandatory criterion for establishing PH associated with left-sided HF. Guidelines recommend that PAWP should be assessed at end-expiration at rest using a proper "zero" point at the mid-chest. A provocative test should be used to confirm PAWP findings in patients with borderline PAWP values (ie, 13-15 mm Hg) or in patients with lower PAWP but who present with echocardiographic signs of left ventricular hypertrophy. There are currently no approved targeted therapies for patients with PH and right HF with preserved ejection fraction (EF) or HF with reduced EF. Clinical trials are currently ongoing to test drugs that either activate guanylate cyclase or inhibit phosphodiesterase type 5 in patients with PH and HF with preserved EF. These studies include the DYNAMIC trial (Pharmacodynamic Effects of Riociguat in Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart Failure With Ejection Fraction; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02744339) and the PASSION Study (Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition in Patients With HF With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Combined Post- and Pre-Capillary PH; European Union Clinical Trials Register No.: 2017-003688-37). The investigators suggested exercise training, a guideline-recommended treatment, may be beneficial in some individuals. In the context of PH with left-sided HF, exercise training may be associated with improvements in exercise capacity. In patients with right ventricular failure whose prognoses do not improve despite use of vasopressors and inotropes, mechanical circulatory is often necessary. "A profound understanding of the mechanisms that may lead to the development of PH [caused by chronic left-sided HF] might be helpful to improve the management of these patients," the researchers wrote. Reference Marra A-M, Benjamin N, Cittadini A, Bossone E, Grünig E. When pulmonary hypertension complicates heart failure. Heart Fail Clin. 2020;16(1):53-60.  |
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