Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Angiotech), announced the commercial launch of the Option Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter in the United States, following FDA 510(k) clearance in June and a limited pre-launch in July. Angiotech holds exclusive worldwide rights to market and distribute the Option IVC Filter, which it obtained in a license agreement with privately held Rex Medical, LP (Rex Medical), as announced in March 2008.

“The pre-launch of the Option IVC Filter last month was successful, demonstrating its potential in pulmonary embolism prevention,” said Dr. William Hunter, President and CEO of Angiotech. “We are excited to announce that the Option IVC Filter is available throughout the US through our dedicated Interventional Sales team.”

The Option IVC Filter is used for the prevention of recurrent pulmonary embolism (PE). The device is implanted, typically by interventional radiologists in a minimally invasive procedure, into the body’s inferior vena cava to prevent PE. The Option IVC Filter is specifically designed for use as both a permanent or temporary implant (in temporary, or retrievable, indications, a physician may later perform a second surgical procedure to remove the Option IVC Filter if necessary or where mandated clinically).

The Option IVC Filter, developed by Rex Medical, is specifically designed to facilitate long-term retrieval post device implantation if desired or deemed necessary by the treating physician, and can be used in the conditions such as pulmonary thromboembolism when anticoagulant therapy is contraindicated, failure of anticoagulant therapy in thromboembolic diseases, emergency treatment following massive PE where anticipated benefits of conventional therapy are reduced, and chronic recurrent PE when anticoagulant therapy has failed or is contraindicated. The nitinol, Option IVC Filter, with a low profile delivery system, is designed with struts which direct clot volume into the center of the vessel for maximum dissolution and preservation of blood flow, allowing for capture of clinically significant clot and protection against PE. The self-centering filter facilitates optimal positioning and stability within the inferior vena cava.