The market opportunity for TAVR is significant, with 2013 sales totaling $303.4 million in the US and $765 million outside the US, and those numbers are expected to grow to an estimated $1.29 billion and $1.63 billion, respectively, by 2018. Edwards and Medtronic dominate the worldwide market at present, but other companies are expected to make inroads with next-generation devices designed to optimize outcomes.

The endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) market is one of the brightest growth opportunities in the medical device arena today. As a result, the competitive landscape is heating up as several new entrants stake their claim for a share of this $1+ billion opportunity.

A major limitation of existing transcatheter aortic heart valves is that they are unable to be repositioned once implanted. For these devices, the valve is mounted in a metal stent that contains a balloon, which is inflated once the valve is placed. The valve is then anchored to the heart wall. Transcatheter Technologies GMBH believes its fully repositionable Trinity valve will solve this shortcoming. Once Trinity is initially placed, cardiac surgeons or interventionalists can evaluate the valve function to determine whether the valve needs to be repositioned, retrieved or kept in the same position. Moreover, it allows for a controlled positioning, by slowly opening the valve stent, for a likely first-attempt correct placement.