Colibri Heart Valve Strengthens Patent Portfolio with Receipt of 12th Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) Patent

BROOMFIELD, CO, Aug. 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colibri Heart Valve LLC, a privately held emerging medical device company, has received an Issue Notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regarding the forthcoming granting of U.S. Patent No. 9,125,739 (the "'739 Patent") titled, "Percutaneous Replacement Heart Valve and a Delivery and Implantation System." This will be Colibri's 12th allowed/granted patent and will issue on September 8, 2015. The '739 Patent is a utility patent directed to an assembly that includes a transcatheter heart valve with a tubular structure away from its central portion that flares at both ends. The assembly further includes a pusher member and a delivery sheath. The associated patent application (14/253,650) has priority claims with content dating back to January 4, 2002. It is expected that the '739 Patent will provide Colibri with broad protection for the claimed assembly through January 4, 2022. This patent issuance represents the 5th Colibri THV patent allowed/granted in 2015. "Colibri has invested heavily in maximizing its intellectual property footprint, which has been significantly bolstered with the addition of this patent," stated Joseph B. Horn, Colibri's president and chief executive officer. "This soon-to-issue patent covers a percutaneous replacement heart valve and a delivery and implantation system with a priority date of 2002 that is both early and meaningful in the transcatheter heart valve market." With the strengthened patent portfolio, Colibri is positioned to accelerate development of a self-expanding heart valve program to complement its clinical-stage disruptive balloon expandable heart valve technology. The addition of a self-expanding program positions Colibri to be the only company with both intellectual property and technology to develop pre-packaged, ready-for-use, balloon and self-expanding transcatheter heart valve technology for aortic, mitral, and pulmonary applications. For more information on the Colibri TAVI System's differentiated design features and technology pipeline please visit the Colibri Heart Valve website at www.colibrihv.com. About the Colibri Heart Valve and the Ready-to-Use Colibri TAVI SystemColibri 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." The TAVI procedure 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 15 years of research and development by Colibri's founders, Dr. David Paniagua and Dr. R. David Fish into transcatheter valve technology. 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 and will be available in multiple sizes.