MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Concentric
Medical, Inc., the global leader in devices for clot retrieval in
ischemic stroke patients, today announced the launch of the
expanded family of Merci Retrievers® in Japan. With the
addition of the V 2.0 Soft and V 3.0 Soft, through recent Ichihen
Approval, the entire family of V Series Merci Retrievers® are
now approved and reimbursed in Japan. The Merci
Retriever® is a catheter-based medical device that stroke
centers use to remove blood clots from the brains of patients
suffering an ischemic stroke.
Century Medical Inc. of Japan is Concentric Medical’s exclusive
distribution partner. Together, the two companies have focused on
physician training, post-market surveillance and expanded product
offerings to support the first-to-market mechanical thrombectomy
device for acute ischemic stroke in Japan. These priorities
emphasize the companies’ commitment to improving stroke patient
care in Japan.
Nobuyuki Sakai, M.D., D.M.Sc., Director, Neurosurgery &
Stroke Center at Kobe General Hospital said, “Our treatment for
stroke has dramatically changed since the approval of the first
Merci Retriever in 2010. Our experience with the Merci
Retriever has resulted in high revascularization rates and improved
patient outcomes. The recent approval of the V 2.0 Soft and the V
3.0 Soft is valuable for us and I believe these devices will
contribute to our improved clinical results.”
Yuji Matsumaru, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Department of
Endovascular Neurosurgery at Toranomon Hospital said, “In Japan,
the Merci Retriever is the first and only device for acute
endovascular revascularization. Since the reimbursement
approval in October 2010 many patients have been treated with this
device and the initial results are very promising. Japanese
physicians, including myself, welcome the addition of the V 2.0
Soft and V 3.0 Soft to the family of Merci Re
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