Nuwellis (NUWE) Announces Data Demonstrating Statistically Superior Clinical Benefit of Aquadex Therapy in Reducing Heart Failure Events and Mortality at the 2022 HFSA

Nuwellis, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUWE), a commercial-stage company focused on transforming the lives of people with fluid overload, today announced the results of the AVOID-HF clinical study analysis presented at the Heart Failure Society of America’s (HFSA) 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting. The results of the analysis performed using the Finkelstein-Schoenfeld method of Win-Ratios (WR) demonstrated a statistically superior benefit when using ultrafiltration over diuretics for fluid-overloaded heart failure patients.

“The re-evaluation of AVOID-HF, using the Win-Ratios calculation, shows that adjustable ultrafiltration is safe and more effective than adjustable IV diuretics in reducing heart failure events for hospitalized heart failure patients,” said Maria DeVita, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Hofstra School of Medicine/Northwell and Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Lenox Hill Hospital. “The results favored ultrafiltration over diuretics in reducing heart failure events within 30 days and cardiovascular mortality within 90 days. These results give us great confidence in REVERSE-HF, the ongoing prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial.”

The AVOID-HF outcomes were evaluated using a composite endpoint consisting of cardiovascular (CV) mortality within 90 days, heart failure (HF) events within 30-days, and time-to-first HF event within 90 days. Adjustable Ultrafiltration (AUF) was statistically superior compared to Adjustable IV Loop Diuretics (ALD) with 81% more wins (Win Ratio=1.81, p=0.0429). A secondary WR analysis was also performed with a composite endpoint consisting of CV mortality within 30 days, HF events within 30-days, and time-to-first HF event within 90 days and found that AUF was statistically superior to ALD with 109% more wins (Win Ratio=2.09, p=0.0278). Results from this analysis are aligned with multiple systematic reviews that have demonstrated adjustable ultrafiltration to be more effective than diuretics in fluid removal, weight loss, and reducing hospital readmissions.1-3

“The results of this analysis support the clinical benefits of providing ultrafiltration with the Aquadex System in reducing readmissions and rehospitalization in fluid overloaded heart failure patients,” said Nestor Jaramillo, Jr., President and CEO of Nuwellis. “The Aquadex System creates the potential to provide significant cost savings to hospitals and the health care system, but more importantly, improved quality of life for many patients. We’re grateful to Drs. Pinney, DeVita, and Costanzo, the authors of this manuscript, for leading this reanalysis of the AVOID-HF data. Nuwellis is committed to making Aquadex therapy the standard of care for fluid management in heart failure patients that are unresponsive to diuretics.”

The AVOID-HF (Aquapheresis Versus Intravenous Diuretics and Hospitalization for Heart Failure) prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial tested the hypothesis that patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) and treated with ultrafiltration would have a longer time to their first heart failure event within 90 days after hospital discharge compared to those receiving IV loop diuretics. The study was trending favorably when the study sponsor terminated it before reaching full enrollment for reasons unrelated to patient safety or clinical futility. At the time, analysis of the AVOID-HF trial data was inconclusive due to the lower-than-planned sample size. However, the Finkelstein-Schoenfeld method of hierarchical Win Ratios increases statistical precision in demonstrating significant differences in clinical outcomes between treatment arms, while requiring a smaller study sample size.

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