HeartWare International Enters Into Definitive Agreement To Acquire Valtech Cardio, Ltd.

- Expands Position as a Leader in the Treatment of Heart Failure Patients -

- Adds Comprehensive Suite of Surgical and Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Repair and Replacement Technologies to the HeartWare Product Portfolio -

- Investor Conference Call on Sept. 1, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. EDT -

FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts and OR YEHUDA, Israel, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- HeartWare International, Inc. (Nasdaq: HTWR), a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies that are revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Valtech Cardio, Ltd. ("Valtech"). Valtech is a privately held company that specializes in the development of innovative surgical and transcatheter valve repair and replacement devices for the treatment of the most prevalent heart valve diseases – mitral valve regurgitation (MR) and tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR).

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The vast majority of patients with MR and TR also suffer from advanced heart failure, and the progression of heart failure can accelerate considerably as a result of valvular dysfunction. Patients with advanced heart failure who receive a ventricular assist device (VAD), like HeartWare's HVAD^® System, commonly undergo a concomitant, therapeutic mitral or tricuspid valve procedure. This transaction provides HeartWare with a highly complementary portfolio of technologies to broaden the treatments it offers heart failure patients and enhance patient outcomes.

MR is a condition in which the mitral valve leaflets fail to close properly, allowing backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium during systole. Left untreated, severe MR can eventually lead to a meaningful deterioration in cardiac function and, eventually, death. Approximately 4.2 million patients are affected by mitral valve disease in the U.S., which represents a several-billion-dollar market opportunity. TR is estimated to affect 1.6 million patients in the U.S. and complements the mitral patient population, as a significant percentage of patients suffer from both MR and TR.