Orchestra BioMed Holdings, Inc. announced the patent estate related to AVIM Therapy has reached 110 patents worldwide. The most recent patent was issued on April 30, 2024. The Orchestra BioMed global intellectual property portfolio related to the treatment of hypertension with AVIM therapy includes patent protection in key markets, including the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China.

The Company owns additional issued patents related to Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy (?CNT?) for other clinical indications and expects further patents to be granted related to AVIM therapy and CNT in the future. AVIM therapy, also known as BackBeat CNT, is an investigational therapy compatible with standard dual-chamber pacemakers designed to substantially and persistently lower blood pressure. It has been evaluated in pilot studies in patients with hypertension who are also indicated for a pacemaker.

MODERATO II, a double-blind, randomized, pilot study, showed that patients treated with AVIM therapy experienced net reductions of 8.1 mmHg in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure (aSBP) and 12.3 mmHg in office systolic blood pressure (oSBP) at six months when compared to control patients. The global IDE pivotal BACKBEAT (BradycArdia paCemaKer with atrioventricular interval modulation for Blood prEssure treAtmenT) study will further evaluate the safety and efficacy of AVIM therapy in lowering blood pressure in a similar target population of patients who have been indicated for, and recently implanted with, a dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker. Hypertension (?HTN?) is characterized by elevated blood pressure, which increases the force of blood pushing against blood vessels, requiring the heart to work harder and consume more oxygen.

HTN accelerates the progression of atherosclerosis and leads to increased risk of major cardiac events like heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease and other end organ damage. HTN is the leading global risk factor for death, affecting an estimated 1.28 billion adults worldwide. In the United States, 122 million adults, or approximately 47% of all adults, are estimated to have HTN.

While many patients do not notice high blood pressure, cardiovascular risk doubles for every 10-mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure and the mortality rate doubles with an increase of 20 mmHg in systolic blood pressure. It is estimated that more than 70% of the approximately 1.1 million people globally who are implanted with cardiac pacemakers each year are also diagnosed with HTN. Based on updated American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines, the company estimate that an even higher percentage (approximately 80%) of U.S. patients who are indicated for a pacemaker implant have HTN.

Pacemaker patients tend to be elderly and are more likely to suffer from co-morbidities, such as atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, and harder to treat effectively with medical therapy for many reasons, including co-morbidities and a high prevalence of isolated systolic HTN.