CorWave has announced that it has obtained patent no. US 9,968,720 B2 on May 15, 2018 from the US Patent and Trademark Office. Titled “Implantable pump system having an undulating membrane,” according to a press release, this patent describes the application of CorWave’s technology for blood pumping in a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), and specific designs related to using the wave membrane technology to make a blood pump. The term of this patent extends into 2037. A corresponding PCT international application is also pending.
This patent further completes CorWave’s extended IP portfolio across four patent families. Contrary to the different LVAD on the market today, the press release reports, CorWave wave membrane technology is able to mimic a pulse and produce blood flow velocity similar to that of a native heart. Closer to the natural functioning of the heart, CorWave pumps have the potential to drastically reduce the risk of complications and costs associated with them. Despite the numerous limitations of the current technologies, the LVAD market already represents about one billion of sales globally.
Carl Botterbusch, CorWave CTO, says: “This is a significant milestone for the company and the R&D group. We have been working hard at the forefront of the technological frontier to bring CorWave’s novel pumping technology to the LVAD space. The receipt of this patent reinforces the unique nature of the wave technology.”
Louis de Lillers, CorWave CEO, adds: “CorWave is a company with global ambitions. Having a patented system in the US is a requirement to bring the expected benefits of CorWave’s technology to American patients and clinicians. Thousands of American patients are already supported by LVADs and the US is home to numerous clinical centres of excellence that have been pioneering the LVAD field for decades.”
