An expanded training program to improve heart attack survival rates

Alvimedica, the innovative stent and catheter producer, has announced a long-term commitment to support Stent for Life, a European initiative that aims to reduce the number of fatalities from heart attacks through awareness education and improved patient access to the life saving indications of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). End Quote

(1888PressRelease) November 08, 2012 - Amsterdam - The innovative stent and catheter producer Alvimedica has announced a long-term commitment to support Stent for Life, a European initiative that aims to reduce the number of fatalities from heart attacks through awareness education and improved patient access to the life saving indications of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).

Alvimedica has agreed to become a Platinum Partner, the highest level of partnership, whereby it will support Stent for Life, by providing medical staff training and patient education in Stent for Life member countries.

Improved access to life-saving procedures
Established in 2009 in Barcelona by a group of leading heart specialists, Stent for Life's mission is to improve access to pPCI.

"In the last few years we have seen radical breakthroughs in cardiology whereby minimally invasive procedures are saving thousands of lives and improving the quality of life of heart patients," said Dr. Cem Bozkurt, CEO of Alvimedica.

"We are determined to do what we can to improve access to these improvements and are delighted to have a chance to do so through the Stent for Life program."

PPCI has been demonstrated as the most effective means of treating STEMI patients, patients struck by life-threatening heart attacks caused by severely obstructed main coronary arteries. Current access to pPCI ranges from as low as 5% to as high as 92% in Europe. The Stent for Life campaign's goal is to increase the level to above 70%. The need for such an intervention is often not spotted in a timely way. Countries that have joined the initiative have made swift progress in addressing lack of access and delayed treatment. While in 2009 only 9% of Greeks had access to PCI, in 2011, reflecting efforts to address the problem, the level of coverage had increased to 32% . To date 13 national cardiac societies have joined Stent for Life. Their efforts are spurring the medical community, industry, government, patient groups and patients to work together to help shape health care systems and medical practices to improve access to this life-saving practice.

In the past, treatments for the complete coronary occlusion causing the heart attack involved major invasive surgical approaches, heavy on the patient and requiring long recovery periods. Those invasive bypass heart surgeries are nowadays challenged by newer treatments such as thrombolysis and PPCI that take a minimally invasive i approach to treatment of the occluded artery and reduce patients' burden in terms of recovery time and associated morbidity.
P- PCI is a non-surgical procedure that entails re-opening blocked arteries to restore blood flow to the heart. The procedure usually involves inserting small metal scaffolds called stents into arteries to keep them open. Stents provide vital support for the walls of the artery, thus reducing the chance of a dangerous blockage recurring.

There is abundant scientific evidence that in STEMI patients this revascularization saves lives and reduces the recurrence of heart attack and stroke, as compared to thrombolytic therapy, the previous standard of care. Initiating this treatment rapidly - ideally within two hours of a STEMI - is seen as key to preventing long-term damage to the heart and preserving a patient's quality of life afterwards.

Innovative stents and catheters

Alvimedica specializes in the manufacture of next-generation stents and catheters, particularly those used in percutaneous coronary interventions. The company is the market leader in its field in Turkey and sells to 30 countries worldwide. Backed by a strong Research & Development department run from Assen, the Netherlands, Alvimedica produces over 1,000 different stent and catheter products in 10 different product lines. Alvimedica also has dedicated Research & Development facilities near Istanbul, Turkey and collaborates in research with leading universities worldwide.

*STEMI stands for ST-elevated myocardial infarction, a type of heart attack. Heart attacks are the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation.

About Stent for Life
Stent for Life aims to improve the delivery of care and patient access to the life saving indications of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI), thereby reducing mortality and morbidity in patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes (ACS). National Cardiac Societies in 13 countries have signed a declaration that effective actions will be taken to fulfil the Stent for Life Initiative Mission in their country. These countries include Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain and Turkey. Recently Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Siberian District of a Russian Federation joined the Initiative. Each country is implementing an action programme to increase patient access to p-PCI.

The Stent for Life Initiative was established by the coalition of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and EuroPCR, at the EAPCI General assembly during the ESC Annual Congress 2009 in Barcelona.

About Alvimedica
Founded in 2007, Alvimedica specializes in next-generation stents and catheters that are revolutionizing inverventional cardiology, saving lives and improving the quality of life of heart patients worldwide. Its state-of-the-art production site in Catalca, Turkey, boasts one of the world's largest cleanrooms. Its Research & Development centres in Assen, the Netherlands, and Catalca, Turkey have produced an interventional cardiology portfolio consisting of over 1,000 products in ten product lines. A commitment to excellence and quality has helped Alvimedica establish market leadership in Turkey, where the company has its production facility. The company is growing rapidly and plans to extend beyond the 30 countries in which it already has a sales presence. Its next-generation catalogue includes its leading-edge sirolimus-eluting stent Coracto, world-class stainless steel and cobalt-chromium bare metal stents, angioplasty balloons, guiding catheters and guide wires. The company intends to continue to revolutionize the interventional cardiology market with the development of a fully biodegradable coronary stent that is completely absorbed by the human body once its task is completed.

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