FDA Approves Abbott's Heart Valve Repair Device For Patients At Risk Of Complications/Death During Open-Heart Surgeries

Tuesday, the FDA approved Abbott Laboratories’ ABT first-of-its-kind TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system that’s specifically designed to treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR), or a leaky tricuspid valve. 

This approval follows the recent recommendation of the Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee for the FDA, whose vote confirmed 13 to 1, with 0 abstention, that the benefits of TriClip outweighed the risks.

The tricuspid valve controls blood as it flows from the heart’s right atrium to the right ventricle. TR occurs when the valve doesn’t close properly, causing a leak and allowing blood to flow backward in the heart. 

TR can force the heart to work harder, causing symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath.

Delivered through a vein in the leg, TriClip’s TEER technology works by clipping together a portion of the leaflets – or flaps of tissue – to repair the tricuspid valve and help blood flow in the right direction without needing open-heart surgery. 

On average, people who receive TriClip only need one day in the hospital before they recover and can return home.

The FDA reviewed findings from the TRILUMINATE Pivotal trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the TriClip system compared to medical therapy in people with severe TR who are at intermediate or greater risk for open-heart surgery. 

In the study, 90% of patients who received the TriClip system experienced a marked improvement in their TR grade, reducing from severe or higher to moderate or less at 30 days – a reduction sustained at one year. 

The trial also demonstrated a highly favorable safety profile, with 98% of patients being free of major adverse events through 30 days and significantly improving quality of life.

TriClip leverages the same clip-based technology as Abbott’s MitraClip device – which has treated more than 200,000 people with leaky mitral valves (mitral regurgitation).

TriClip has been approved for use in more than 50 countries. The device has already been used to treat more than 10,000 people with TR.

Citing Abbott, Reuters noted that TriClip was included in the “Fab 5” devices, which are expected to see high sales growth in the coming years.

Price Action: ABT shares are down 0.46% at $111.57 on the last check Tuesday.

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