First Patient Enrolled in SeaStar Medical’s Pivotal Clinical Trial with the Selective Cytopheretic Device in Adults with Acute Kidney Injury

DENVER, June 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: ICU), a medical device company developing proprietary solutions to reduce the consequences of hyperinflammation on vital organs, announces enrollment of the first patient in the NEUTRALIZE-AKI pivotal clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its patented, first-in-class, cell-directed Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD) extracorporeal therapy in critically ill adults with acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT).

“We are delighted to enroll the first patient into our pivotal trial following the successful resolution of a supply-chain issue that temporarily impacted the sourcing of tubing connectors that are part of the SCD sets,” said Kevin Chung, MD, Chief Medical Officer of SeaStar Medical. “Nearly two dozen hospitals and academic centers have signed on to begin the process of onboarding as clinical trial sites. These sites are at various stages of activation with several anticipated to begin enrollment very soon.”

“We believe that reprogramming activated neutrophils and monocytes represents a major breakthrough for managing hyperinflammation in acute illness. Initiating trial enrollment is another important step in making the potentially lifesaving SCD therapy available to more than 200,000 U.S. adult patients each year with AKI who require CKRT as part of their standard of care,” said Eric Schlorff, CEO of SeaStar Medical.

About the NEUTRALIZE-AKI Pivotal Trial

The NEUTRALIZE-AKI (NEUTRophil and monocyte deActivation via SeLective CytopheretIic Device - a randomiZEd clinical trial in Acute Kidney Injury) pivotal trial is expected to enroll up to 200 patients. The trial’s primary endpoint is a composite of 90-day mortality or dialysis dependency of patients treated with SCD in addition to CKRT as the standard of care, compared with the control group receiving only CKRT standard of care. Secondary endpoints include mortality at 28 days, ICU-free days in the first 28 days, major adverse kidney events at Day 90 and dialysis dependency at one year. The study will also include subgroup analyses to explore the effectiveness of SCD therapy in AKI patients with sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

About Hyperinflammation

Hyperinflammation is the overproduction or overactivity of inflammatory cells that can lead to damage of vital organs. It occurs when the body overproduces inflammatory effector cells and other molecules that can be toxic, damaging to vital organs and result in multi-organ failure and even death. This is known as the cytokine storm. Unlike pathogen removal and other blood-purification tools, the SCD selectively targets the most highly activated proinflammatory neutrophils and monocytes. The Company has observed that these most highly activated immune cells are turned off in a low calcium environment. The SCD therapy mimics nature by creating a unique micro-environment, attracting these highly activated effector cells and neutralizing them in such an environment. These cells are then returned back into the body through the blood, and the body is signaled to focus on repair.

About SeaStar Medical

SeaStar Medical is a medical technology company that is redefining how extracorporeal therapies may reduce the consequences of excessive inflammation on vital organs. SeaStar Medical’s novel technologies rely on science and innovation to provide life-saving solutions to critically ill patients. The Company is developing and commercializing cell-directed extracorporeal therapies that target the effector cells that drive systemic inflammation, causing direct tissue damage and secreting a range of pro-inflammatory cytokines that initiate and propagate imbalanced immune responses. For more information visit www.seastarmedical.com or visit us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1955. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, SeaStar Medical’s expectations with respect to the timing of regulatory approval of its products, the expected timing on enrollment, generation of study results, submission of PMA and other corporate milestones, the ability of SCD to treat patients with AKI, and the potential benefits of SCD to treat other diseases. Words such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside SeaStar Medical’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause actual future events to differ materially from the expected results include, but are not limited to: (i) the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination with LMAO, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of the post-combination company to grow and manage growth profitability and retain its key employees, (ii) future capital requirements and sources and uses of cash, (iii) the ability to obtain funding or raise capital for its operations and future growth, (iv) the ability to maintain the listing of its securities on Nasdaq, (v) any delays or challenges in obtaining FDA approval Company’s SCD product candidates, (vi) the risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly competitive industry in which SeaStar Medical operates, (vii) the risk that SeaStar Medical and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize its products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so, including failure to achieve approval of its products by applicable federal and state regulators, (viii) the risk that SeaStar Medical may never achieve or sustain profitability; (ix) the risk that SeaStar Medical may need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (x) the risk that third-parties suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations, (xi) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to SeaStar Medical’s products and services, (xii) the risk that SeaStar Medical is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property, and (xiii) other risks and uncertainties indicated in SeaStar Medical’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those under “Risk Factors” section therein, and other filings that have been made or will be made with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and SeaStar Medical assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact:

LHA Investor Relations
Jody Cain
(310) 691-7100
Jcain@lhai.com

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