MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J., June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — CytoSorbents Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSO), a critical care immunotherapy leader using its CytoSorb® blood purification technology to treat deadly inflammation in critically-ill and cardiac surgery patients around the world, announces that CytoSorbents will host a Key Opinion Leader call on the Use of CytoSorb to Remove Antithrombotic Medications in Patients at Risk of Bleeding, on Monday, July 13, 2020 at 11:00 AM EDT, featuring presentations by key experts:

  • Dr. C. Michael Gibson – Harvard University and Baim Institute for Clinical Research, USA
  • Dr. Robert Storey – University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
  • Prof. Dr. med. Michael Schmoeckel – Asklepios-Klinik St. Georg Hamburg, Germany

Millions of patients globally are taking antithrombotic medications, or “blood thinners”, to reduce their risk of stroke and heart attacks. But when they require surgery, they risk life-threatening perioperative bleeding. The call will feature presentations from each of the distinguished speakers who will discuss the unmet medical need of managing patients on antithrombotic therapy requiring surgery.  Drs. Gibson, Storey, and Schmoeckel will be available to answer questions at the conclusion of the event.

The discussion will be focused on the use of CytoSorb to remove two of the most commonly prescribed antithrombotic agents, ticagrelor (Brilinta®, Brilique®) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto®) from the bloodstream when installed in a heart-lung machine blood circuit during cardiothoracic surgery. CytoSorb has also received FDA Breakthrough Designation to remove ticagrelor during emergent or urgent cardiothoracic surgery, representing a potential path to U.S. FDA approval. 

Key Opinion Leader Call Details
Date: Monday, July 13, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM EDT
Participant Dial-In: 

  • Domestic: 1-877-451-6152
  • International: 1-201-389-0879
  • UK Toll Free: 0 800 756 3429

Conference ID: 13705981
Live Presentation and Archived Webcast:
https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1338476&tp_key=0429b514ad
Q&A Session:  To ask a question during the live Q&A, please submit your request via email to [email protected]

Speaker Bios:

C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D.
Dr. Michael Gibson is an interventional cardiologist, cardiovascular researcher and educator who pioneered our understanding of the “open artery hypothesis” as well our understanding of the importance of restoring flow downstream in the capillary bed in the “open microvasculature hypothesis” in heart attack. He has been leading investigator in trials of thrombolytic agents, glycoprotein 2b3a inhibitor agents, thienopyridines, factor Xa inhibitors, lipid lowering agents and new devices. Gibson was named one of the world’s most widely published and cited scientists of past decade in 2014 by Thomson Reuters.

Gibson founded and led his own Academic Research Organization (PERFUSE) for 30 years, and has been principal investigator of or led core services for >120 clinical trials, the results of which have been published in leading journals. Under Gibson’s direction, PERFUSE created the master database that unified data from over many years of TIMI studies (TIMI 1-50) in nearly 100,000 patients and coordinated data analyses for the TIMI study group and functioned as the TIMI Data Coordinating Center. Gibson has led phase 1-4 clinical trials, and cardiology megatrials of over 15,000 patients which eventuated in international approval of drugs like prasugrel, rivaroxaban and betrixaban. Gibson is now CEO of the Baim Institute for Clinical Research in Boston, MA.

Gibson also founded www.wikidoc.org and www.wikipatient.org, widely viewed open source textbooks of medicine. He is Editor-In-Chief of >2,200 active contributors who have edited the content millions of times. Gibson founded www.clinicaltrialresults.org and has conducted >2,000 TV / video interviews. He has over 340K followers on twitter with millions of impressions at major meetings.

For years, Gibson has been chosen as one of Boston’s Top Doctors and U.S. News & World Report also lists Gibson as one of America’s top doctors. He has held numerous leadership positions including positions as Coronary Care Unit Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Director, Chief of Cardiology and Vice Chairman of Medicine.

Robert Storey, BM, DM, FESC
Robert Storey joined the University of Sheffield in 2002 and is currently Professor of Cardiology, Clinical Theme Lead for Cardiovascular Disease research and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Unit. In addition, Professor Storey is Academic Director and an honorary Consultant Cardiologist for the Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery Directorate, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has a special interest in the management of ischaemic heart disease, including acute coronary syndromes and coronary intervention.

Professor Storey received his BSc in biochemistry from the University of York, UK, in 1985 before going on to earn his medical degree (BM) from the University of Southampton in 1989. After completing general professional training, he trained in the fields of cardiology and internal medicine in Nottingham, completing specialist training in 2001. During that time, Professor Storey developed a keen interest in thrombosis research, studying platelet biology and pharmacology, conducting clinical research studies in patients with cardiovascular disease, and obtaining a postgraduate degree in research (DM) from the University of Nottingham. In particular, he has published original articles spanning both preclinical and clinical research fields that have supported the development of novel antiplatelet strategies, including characterization of the roles of the P2Y12 receptor and effects of novel P2Y12 inhibitors. He is in the top global 1% of highly-cited authors in clinical medicine (Clarivate Analytics).

Professor Storey served as a member of the executive committees for the DISPERSE2, PLATO and PEGASUS-TIMI 54 studies, leading the platelet function substudies for these trials, and of the steering committees for numerous other studies. He was Chair of the Working Group on Thrombosis of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) from 2012-2014 and has been a Task Force member for ESC guidelines on chronic coronary syndromes (2019), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (2011 and 2015) and dyslipidaemias (2011).

Prof. Dr. med. Michael Schmoeckel M.A.
Professor Michael Schmoeckel is Chairman, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Asklepios-Klinik St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany, since 2009.  Professor Schmoeckel and his colleagues have been the pioneers of using CytoSorb to remove ticagrelor and rivaroxaban during emergent and urgent cardiac surgery and have published the first retrospective, observational study demonstrating a reduction in bleeding risk in patients where CytoSorb was used for this purpose intraoperatively.  He completed his preclinical training at the University of Tubingen and received his medical degree and specialty training in cardiac surgery at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) University in Munich, Germany.  Later Professor Schmoeckel served as research fellow, Dept. of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Papworth Hospital and Imutran Ltd. and Dept. of Surgery, University of Cambridge, UK ultimately earning a PhD in transplantion.  He is also Medical Head of AK Eimsbuettel-CarioCliniC.

Professor Schmoeckel’s research and scientific interests are related to TAVI, xenotransplantation, ventricular assist devices, and heart valve reconstruction, and is widely published with 117 peer-reviewed publications.  He has served as a member in many expert groups including the “Xenotransplantation Advisory Committee” for the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), the Expert Panel “Heart and Lung Transplantation” of the German Federal Board of Quality Control, the working group “Thoracic Organ Transplantation” of the German Society of Cardiology (DGK), and the working group “Basic Science” of the  German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG) where he also served as Chairman in 2009-11.  Professor Schmoeckel is a reviewer of many medical journals such as The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon, American Journal of Transplantation, and the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

About CytoSorbents Corporation (NASDAQ: CTSO)
CytoSorbents Corporation is a leader in critical care immunotherapy, specializing in blood purification. Its flagship product, CytoSorb® is approved in the European Union with distribution in 65 countries around the world, as an extracorporeal cytokine adsorber designed to reduce the “cytokine storm” or “cytokine release syndrome” that could otherwise cause massive inflammation, organ failure and death in common critical illnesses. These are conditions where the risk of death is extremely high, yet no effective treatments exist. CytoSorb® has been used in more than 88,000 human treatments to date.  CytoSorb has received CE-Mark label expansions for the removal of bilirubin (liver disease), myoglobin (trauma), and both ticagrelor and rivaroxaban during cardiothoracic surgery.  CytoSorb has also received FDA Emergency Use Authorization in the United States for use in critically-ill COVID-19 patients with imminent or confirmed respiratory failure, in defined circumstances.  CytoSorb has also been granted FDA Breakthrough Designation for the removal of ticagrelor in a cardiopulmonary bypass circuit during emergent and urgent cardiothoracic surgery.

CytoSorbents’ purification technologies are based on biocompatible, highly porous polymer beads that can actively remove toxic substances from blood and other bodily fluids by pore capture and surface adsorption. Its technologies have received non-dilutive grant, contract, and other funding of approximately $33 million from DARPA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), the U.S. Army, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Material Command (USAF/AFMC) and others. The Company has numerous products under development based upon this unique blood purification technology protected by many issued U.S. and international patents and multiple applications pending, including CytoSorb-XL™, HemoDefend™, VetResQ™, K+ontrol™, ContrastSorb, DrugSorb, and others.  For more information, please visit the Company’s websites at www.cytosorbents.com and www.cytosorb.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, representations and contentions and are not historical facts and typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. You should be aware that the forward-looking statements in this press release, including statements about COVID-19, our expected revenues as a result thereof, represent management’s current judgment and expectations, but our actual results, events and performance could differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 5, 2020, as updated by the risks reported in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in the press releases and other communications to shareholders issued by us from time to time which attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors which may affect our business. We caution you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required under the Federal securities laws.

Please Click to Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter

Cytosorbents Contact:
Amy Vogel
Investor Relations
(732) 398-5394
[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:
Jeremy Feffer
LifeSci Advisors
917-749-1494
[email protected]

U.S. Public Relations Contact:
Eric Kim
Rubenstein Public Relations
212-805-3052
[email protected]

 

SOURCE CytoSorbents Corporation