Background

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a progressive, incurable disease that results in the heart’s inability to maintain adequate blood circulation. The decreased cardiac output related to CHF affects various organs in the body, among them the kidney. Reduced renal function is a common condition in CHF patients, leading to disease progression.

One of CHF’s most important manifestations is excessive fluid retention that triggers a vicious cycle of cardio-renal interactions, causing life-threatening pulmonary edema. Acute CHF events account for more than 1 million hospitalizations in the U.S. annually (AHA). Diuretics, the drugs of choice to relieve fluid retention, are frequently ineffective, requiring increased dosage that is potentially toxic and can lead to kidney damage. The mortality rate with acute CHF events can reach as high as 10%; three-month readmission rates approach 25%.

Pressures to reduce costs to deal with the huge financial burden facing healthcare systems and patients seeking a longer, better quality of life fuel the demand for an effective solution.

Technology

Nephera's technology is based on electrical stimulation of the urinary bladder
in order to improve renal function using natural mechanisms.
Using its innovative technology, Nephera is developing RenaSense™, a unique medical device that improves and maintains kidney functionality in patients suffering from decompensated heart failure. RenaSense™ includes a proprietary electrode and is placed using standard procedures.

Advantages

Nephera’s device offers an effective treatment for acute decompensated heart failure events by enhancing and maintaining kidney function, thus shortening the length of hospitalizations, reducing their frequency and reducing mortality rates.

RenaSense^TM also offers a new method of diuresis that complements existing diuretic treatment and enhances its efficiency.

Market size

CHF affects 6 million Americans and more than 22 million individuals worldwide. CHF is the leading diagnosis-related group (DRG) among hospitalized patients in the 65+ age group. The total cost of hospitalizations for CHF is twice the combined costs for all forms of cancer and myocardial infarction.

Treating heart failure costs an estimated $40 billion per year in the U.S. (AHA, 2010) and nearly $80 billion worldwide in direct medical care, not including costs related to disability and loss of employment. The impact of the aging baby boomers is looming and driving the market to find new treatment solutions that can make a difference.