A startup will be marketing artificial hearts for terminally ill patients this year
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- French company Carmat said it would begin selling artificial hearts in the second quarter of 2021.
- The heart is mainly targeted at patients suffering from terminal or "endstage" heart failure.
- After getting sales approval last month, stock prices rose by their biggest margin in seven years.
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A French company developing the world's most advanced artificial heart announced preparations to launch its product on the market in the second quarter of 2021.
Carmat, founded in 2008, aims to provide patients suffering from advanced heart failure with a second lease of life.
The artificial heart can provide long-term support or serve as a "bridge to a heart transplant," the company said in a press release.
The artificial heart imitates the functions of the human heart and consists of an implanted prosthesis, external equipment including batteries, and a hospital care console to track the functioning of the heart.
The prosthesis includes four biological valves to facilitate blood flow, two ventricles, two micropumps, and inbuilt sensors enabling the heart to adapt to the patient's needs at any given time.
"At least 2,000 patients are currently on waiting lists for a heart transplant in Europe but only a fraction of them is fortunate enough to benefit from a donor graft," said Stéphane Piat, the company's CEO. "In 2021, our intention is to focus our efforts on Germany and France, which account for more than half of these patients."
The company sees heart failure as a "global pandemic" affecting at least 26 million people, pointing out that survival is less than 50% after five years. Due to a shortage of donors, however, only around 5,500 transplants are carried out annually - meaning some wait months or years.
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Carmat targets its product at those in greatest need - the 5% of patients who are suffering from "terminal" or "endstage" heart failure.
They said heart failure was "increasing in prevalence." This will only have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which can affect the heart, sometimes causing "abnormalities." One-third of coronavirus-related deaths in Italy were also patients who suffered from heart disease.
In March 2020, Carmat announced a patient who had been fitted with their artificial heart had successfully been supported for two years, calling it a "very encouraging" development.
Earlier that year, they were also part of an exhibition of French products at the French presidential residence, according to Paris Match. They also secured $15.7 million (€13 million) in funding from the French government to carry out clinical trials in the second quarter of 2021.
In December, Carmat experienced its biggest rise in stock value in seven years after gaining approval to sell their artificial heart, Bloomberg reported. Their shares rose by 66% in 2020, and the company's worth at the time was estimated at around $496 million (€407 million).
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