(Yicai) Nov. 10 -- Edwards Lifesciences, a US developer and maker of heart valves, is showcasing its new Pascal Precision Transcatheter Valve Repair system at the China International Import Expo, the world’s largest national-level trade fair dedicated to imports.

"This year we're excited to present the Pascal Precision system for mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, making its CIIE debut following its launch in Hong Kong,” said Ben Cheong, senior vice president and general manager for China at Edwards Lifesciences.

The Pascal Precision system marks Edwards Lifesciences' entry into the Chinese transcatheter mitral and tricuspid therapies market, expanding beyond its esFtablished transcatheter aortic valve replacement offerings.

Of the 25 million people living with heart valve disease in China, around 16 million suffer with mitral or tricuspid regurgitation. Without timely intervention, survival rates can drop to just 20 percent within five years, underscoring the need for early treatment, Cheong noted.

A number of products that Edwards Lifesciences brought to previous CIIEs have already entered clinical use. The Sapien 3 Transcatheter Aortic Valve system, introduced at the 2020 CIIE, is now available in nearly 200 implant centers across China. The Inspiris Resilia aortic valve, presented in 2021, has already been used to treat more than 4,000 patients and is supported by local post-market studies.

"This kind of local data is very, very important for doctors as a guide," Cheong said. “We're very happy to say that this year and next year, we'll be able to release early results of our post-market study of our Inspiris Resilia.”

Clinical research at leading institutions, such as Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, is underway to assess Inspiris Resilia's performance among Chinese patients and explore its use in younger patients with aortic stenosis.

To strengthen its clinical capabilities, Edwards Lifesciences has trained more than 40,000 Chinese clinicians through its Surgical Academy centers and Sapien 3 Teaching Center of Excellence. 

The California-based company has also deepened its partnerships with China’s Sinopharm Group and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals to enhance hospital access and streamline product distribution across the country.

"It's very important to have local partners, especially to make sure that we deliver our products more effectively and more efficiently to hospitals," Cheong noted. “We also think about more creative solutions to make sure that we deliver and help our patients and hospitals as best as we can.”

Looking ahead, Edwards Lifesciences is picking up the pace of innovation. "We have the Pascal Precision system coming next year, and the year after that we will have a new product, which is our Sapien 3 Ultra Resilia, and more products beyond that,” Cheong said.

Editor: Futura Costaglione