(Yicai Global) March 19 -- A team at a hospital under Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University has admitted its final patient in clinical trials of the world’s first edge-to-edge mitral valve clamp, that resolves regurgitation issues in the heart’s left chamber, bringing China’s first independently developed heart valve apparatus closer to market.

The much-anticipated release of the ValveClamp, co-developed by the Zhongshan Hospital team and Shanghai Hanyu Medical Technology, will bring an end to the monopoly of the Mitraclip, an imported mitral valve repair system developed by the US’ Abbott Laboratories

The ValveClamp, which is composed of a front clamp, rear clamp and closed ring, has a more extensive clamping range and broader adaptability than comparable devices. It can be fitted through a three-centimeter incision in the lower chest region, a far cry from the days of open heart surgery.

Patients are followed up for a year after surgery, said team leader Ge Junbo, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This means that the device could be on the market as soon as the end of next year, he added.

Co-developer Hanyu Medical closed a CNY500 million (USD76.8 million) in Series D+ financing this month and is expected to go public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Nasdaq-style Star Market soon.

Editors: Liao Shumin, Kim Taylor