SAN CARLOS, Calif., April 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCardia, Inc.[Nasdaq: BCDA], a leader in the development of comprehensive solutions for cardiovascular regenerative therapies, today reported that it has accepted and implemented FDA-recommended modifications to the primary endpoint for the CardiAMP Cell Therapy Heart Failure Trial and associated statistical analysis plan. The Agency proposed these modifications to support the potential for marketing approval for the therapy based on the currently enrolling pivotal trial.

The primary endpoint going forward will be an outcomes composite score based on a three-tiered Finkelstein-Schoenfeld (FS) hierarchical analysis, an established outcomes design that has been used in other leading heart failure programs. The FS procedure is a ranked analysis that first compares each subject to each other subject for occurrence of first-tier events (time to death, in this case) and then compares patient outcomes for subsequent tiers. The tiers, starting with the most serious events, would be (1) all-cause death, including cardiac death equivalents such as heart transplant or left ventricular assist device placement, ordered by time to event; (2) non-fatal Major Adverse Coronary and Cerebrovascular Events (MACCE), excluding those deemed procedure-related occurring within the first seven days post-procedure (heart failure hospitalization, stroke or myocardial infarction), ordered by time to event, and (3) change from baseline in Six Minute Walk Distance at 12 months.

BioCardia CEO Peter Altman, PhD, said, The only major modification to our previous endpoint is that patients who experience a MACCE event and recover will not be factored into the benefit seen in the third-tier measure of Six Minute Walk Distance at one-year follow-up. Since we saw no incidence of MACCE at one year among treated patients in our Phase II trial, our probability of achieving a positive result in the primary endpoint in the ongoing pivotal CardiAMP Heart Failure trial remains unchanged, at greater than 95 percent. Because the FS composite outcomes endpoint is already established for heart failure trials, we expect it to significantly enhance understanding and confidence in our trial results among physicians and payers alike.

The CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial is studying CardiAMP cell therapy, an autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell formulation designed to stimulate the bodys natural healing response in treating heart failure which develops after a heart attack. The trial is evaluating the cell therapys ability to improve patient survival, exercise capacity and quality of life, as well as its safety. The CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial is the first multicenter clinical trial of an autologous cell therapy to prospectively select patients based on cell potency to maximize the probability of patient benefit.

The ongoing multi-center, double-blinded, randomized (3:2), controlled pivotal CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial is expected to enroll 260 patients at up to 40 centers nationwide. The national co-principal investigators are Amish Raval, MD, of the University of Wisconsin and Carl Pepine, MD, of the University of Florida, Gainesville. In March 2020, the Data Safety Monitoring Board indicated there were no safety concerns with the CardiAMP study results and recommended that the trial continue, as planned.To date, 74 patients have been enrolled at 25 active centers. The trial is sponsored, in part, by the Maryland Stem Cell Research Foundation and has reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

For additional resources and to learn more about the CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial, visit http://www.biocardia.com.

About BioCardiaBioCardia, Inc., headquartered in San Carlos, California, is developing regenerative biologic therapies to treat cardiovascular disease. CardiAMP and CardiALLO cell therapies are the Companys biotherapeutic product candidates in clinical development. The Company's approved products include the Helix transendocardial delivery system and its steerable guide and sheath catheter portfolio. BioCardia also partners with other biotherapeutic companies to provide its Helix System and clinical support to their programs studying therapies for the treatment of heart failure, chronic myocardial ischemia and acute myocardial infarction.

Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, the intended outcomes of our trials, the availability of data from our clinical trials, filings with the FDA, FDA product clearances, the efficacy and safety of our products and therapies and statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with developing new products or technologies, regulatory approvals, unexpected expenditures, the ability to raise the additional funding needed to continue to pursue BioCardias business and product development plans and overall market conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and BioCardia assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.

We may use terms such as believes, estimates, anticipates, expects, plans, intends, may, could, might, will, should, approximately or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained herein, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. Additional factors that could materially affect actual results can be found in BioCardias Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 9, 2020, under the caption titled Risk Factors. BioCardia expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Media Contact: Michelle McAdam, Chronic Communications, Inc.Email:michelle@chronic-comm.comPhone: 310-902-1274

Investor Contact: David McClung, Chief Financial OfficerEmail:investors@BioCardia.comPhone: 650-226-0120

Read more here:
Biocardia Announces FDA-Recommended Modifications to Primary Endpoint for Cardiamp Cell Therapy Heart Failure Trial to Support Marketing Approval -...