Sequana Medical NV (Euronext Brussels: SEQUA), innovators in the management of fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure, today announces the appointments of Dr. Javed Butler, Dr. Maria Rosa Costanzo, Dr. Wilson Tang and Dr. Jeffrey Testani as the Company’s Heart Failure Scientific Advisors.

The Sequana Medical management team will work closely with the Scientific Advisors on the development of alfapump DSR (Direct Sodium Removal). Built on its proven alfapump platform, alfapump DSR is Sequana Medical’s breakthrough approach for the management of fluid overload in patients suffering from heart failure. Positive data from the first-in-human single dose DSR proof-of-concept study were presented at the Heart Failure 2019 congress in May 2019 and a first-in-human alfapump DSR study is planned to commence later this year, with results expected in the first half of 2020.

“The global heart failure market represents a tremendous opportunity for Sequana Medical and we are honoured to work closely with such prominent experts in the field,” commented Ian Crosbie, Chief Executive Officer of Sequana Medical. “They each bring vast medical and scientific expertise and have all been involved in the development of multiple new treatment options for patients suffering from heart failure. We look forward to rapidly progressing the alfapump DSR clinical development by leveraging our extensive experience of the alfapump in liver disease and malignant ascites.”

“Through my experience with Cameron Health and Boston Scientific, I have seen the value that leading scientific advisors bring to the development of innovative treatment options” added Pierre Chauvineau, Chairman of Sequana Medical. “Each of these advisors brings invaluable experience to Sequana Medical, which will be key to the success of our alfapump DSR heart failure programme.”

About Dr. Butler

Dr. Butler is the Patrick H. Lehan Chair in Cardiovascular Research, and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Butler’s research focuses on clinical trials in patients with heart failure. He serves on several national committees including: the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and the Heart Failure Society of America. He is a recipient of the Simon Dack Award by the American College of Cardiology as well as the Time, Feeling, and Focus Award by the American Heart Association. Dr. Butler has authored more than 550 peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial board of several peer-reviewed cardiovascular journals and has been cited in America’s Best Doctors list.

About Dr. Costanzo

Dr. Costanzo is the Medical Director of the Edward Center for Advanced Heart Failure and Medical Director, Heart Failure Research for the Advocate Heart Institute. She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology. Dr. Costanzo is also a member of the Ordine Dei Medici (The Italian National Medical Professional Association) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Heart Failure Society of America. Dr. Costanzo has led several multi-centre randomised clinical trials, has written more than 200 papers, abstracts and articles and has presented nationally and internationally on numerous topics related to heart failure and cardiac transplantation.

About Dr. Tang

Dr. Tang is Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Tang is a practicing heart failure/transplant cardiologist specialising in specific cardiomyopathies, cardio-renal diseases, and cancer-related heart diseases. Dr. Tang is credited for unravelling the contemporary physiologic and molecular understanding of a subset of patients with cardio-renal syndrome, including the recognition of venous congestion, intra-abdominal pressure, and metabolic dysregulation as key determinants. Dr. Tang’s NIH-funded translational research focuses on understanding the mechanisms through which nitrative stress and epigenetics contribute to disease progression in heart failure and cardiomyopathy in humans, with the goal of identifying preventive treatment strategies for heart failure. Dr. Tang has authored over 630 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, editorials, and book chapters, which include the latest national heart failure guidelines.

About Dr. Testani

Dr. Testani is Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Heart Failure Research at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Testani’s primary research interest is the mechanistic understanding of cardiac-renal interactions, fluid and sodium homeostasis, and diuretic resistance in heart failure. He has over 100 peer reviewed publications with the key focus of this work understanding cardio-renal interactions in heart failure. His laboratory utilises techniques of translational research using prospective human clinical trials and large animal models to better understand mechanism and develop new therapies and diagnostics. His lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health and industry sources totaling over $15 million, and is considered by many to be amongst the top laboratories in the world in this field of study.