FDA approves US oriented clinical study of Bentley’s BeGraft and Cook’s Zenith® Fenestrated+ Endovascular Graft for treatment of aortic aneurysms

CAUTION: Investigational device. Limited by United States law to investigational use.

Hechingen, Germany - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Cook Medical and Bentley to initiate a joined Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study on the Zenith Fenestrated+ Endovascular Graft (ZFEN+) in combination with the Bentley BeGraft Balloon-Expandable FEVAR Bridging Stent Graft (BeGraft).

This clinical study will assess the safety and effectiveness of the ZFEN+ in combination with Bentley’s BeGraft for the endovascular treatment of patients with aortic aneurysms involving one or more of the major visceral arteries. The ZFEN+ is predicated on the commercially available Zenith Fenestrated AAA Endovascular Graft but extends the proximal margin of aneurysmal disease that can be treated by an endovascular approach to include patients with more complex aortic disease. For patients with complex aortic disease, the only currently established treatment option is open surgical repair.

“Outside the United States, Bentley has supplied over 300.000 BeGraft peripherals to patients in over 80 countries around the world. We are pleased that this study approval of the FDA brings us one step closer to making our leading technology also available to American patients suffering from vascular diseases,” said Sebastian Büchert, CEO, Bentley.

The ZFEN+ clinical study is a prospective, multi-center, single-arm study that will include sites in the United States and Europe. At this time, the FDA has approved enrollment of the first 30 patients. Ultimately, Bentley and Cook intend to enroll 102 patients in the pivotal study. The primary safety endpoint is a composite measure of device technical success and procedural safety within 30 days. Likewise, the primary effectiveness endpoint is a composite measure of freedom from aneurysm-related mortality and freedom from clinically significant re-intervention through 12 months post procedure. A composite measure is a group of variables collected during the clinical study and analyzed.

“The ZFEN+ Endovascular Graft will meet a significant need for our patients. There are not many options to treat complex aortic aneurysms other than open repair or off-label use of devices. Even long after off-the-shelf devices become available, the ZFEN+ will offer a tailored approach specific to the patient anatomy. The ZFEN+ clinical study will provide a benchmark for safety and effectiveness of a less invasive option to treat complex abdominal aortic aneurysms,” said Dr. Gustavo Oderich, who is the Global Principal Investigator of the study.

Additional information about the clinical study is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Contact: Matthias Bleesen, Communication & Event Coordinator, m.bleesen@bentley.global, +49 7471 984 995 631