BROOMFIELD, CO, Jan. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colibri Heart Valve, LLC, a privately held medical device company, has been granted yet another patent directed to prosthetic heart valves. More particularly, today the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office granted Colibri U.S. Patent No. 8,361,144 entitled, "Percutaneously Deliverable Heart Valve Device And Methods Associated Therewith." The patent is directed to a method of making a pre-packaged, sterilized, dry heart valve pre-mounted on a delivery system. The patent provides Colibri with intellectual property rights extending into 2031 for the significant medical device market concerning prosthetic heart valves. Colibri is also seeking patent rights in a number of foreign countries.
"With the recent issuance of this patent and the successful first-in-human implantation of the Colibri ready-to-use TAVI system, which is reflected in this patent, we believe Colibri has a meaningful opportunity in the THV market," said Joseph B. Horn, Colibri's president and chief executive officer. "The broad claims in this recently allowed patent provides us with the coverage to expand the Colibri pre-packaged, pre-mounted, dry valve technology into all heart valve applications."
For more information on the first-in-human implantation, please visit the Valve Implantation page of the Colibri Heart Valve website.
About the Colibri Heart Valve and the Ready-to-Use Colibri TAVI System
Colibri Heart Valve, LLC is a privately held medical device company based in Broomfield, CO that researches and develops novel heart valve technologies. Colibri has developed a pre-mounted, pre-crimped, and pre-packaged, ready-for-use transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) device called the "Colibri TAVI System." TAVI is an important treatment option for heart valve replacement due to its minimally invasive nature, clinical efficacy, extensive patient experience, and reduced procedural costs. Colibri's advanced technology is a culmination of over 10 years of research and development by Colibri's founders, Dr. David Paniagua and Dr. R. David Fish into the tissue, valve design, frame, and delivery catheter. Colibri's unique tissue processing method produces extremely strong, durable, and biocompatible tissue. The proprietary tissue enables loading, crimping, and packaging of the Colibri valve at manufacture, making in-procedure valve rinsing and loading at time of use unnecessary. The "Colibri TAVI System" is designed to be shipped ready-for-use.
Colibri's corporate headquarters and pre-commercialization facilities are located in Broomfield, Colorado with R&D located in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit: www.colibrihv.com.