Patents

Realheart holds several patents covering the core technology in Realheart® TAH.

  • The first patent has priority from 2001 in the United States, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan. It was the first patent describing the completely implantable heart prosthesis intended to replace the natural heart’s pumping activity.
  • The second patent was applied for in 2015 and aims to primarily cover the pumping principle of the device and its structure and functions. Patent protection of the general pump principle is granted in the United States, Europe (Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Ireland), China and India
  • The third patent, applied in 2017, focuses mainly on the housing that encloses and protects a four-chambered TAH. The patent was granted for the United States, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany, France, Australia, Japan and India in order to protect the latest version of Realheart® TAH. This is also submitted and pending for Canada.

Realheart has patent protection for the original pump principle in the US, UK, Sweden, and Germany. Patents have been granted in Sweden, the EU, the US, and China to protect the latest version of Realheart® TAH.

A patent for a pressure sensor for artificial hearts and circulatory support systems such as Realheart® TAH has been approved in Japan, China, and most recently in Europe. The pressure sensor patents complement the control position around TAH and are valid until 2041.

A patent that covers a control method and system configuration for artificial heart products, such as Realheart® TAH, featuring integrated feedback mechanisms for real-time regulation of cardiac output, has been approved in India. The approval grants patent protection until March 2041.

Realheart has also been granted patent approval by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) for the core technology in Realheart® TAH. These patent approvals provide market protection for the device until 2037. Noteworthy are the approved patents relating to the core technology in Realheart® TAH, the structure and function of the total artificial heart, and the integrated feedback mechanism that regulates the device’s cardiac output. The latest approvals provide protection in Japan until 2041, and further approvals within the same patent family are expected in 2026.

Apart from the patent protection as described above, Realheart’s patent portfolio also covers future products in the R&D pipeline: Sternal prosthesis, PulsePump®, and RealVAD®.

The markets in which the inventions are protected in are the largest and most important markets for artificial hearts as of now. China and India are considered to be important emerging markets.

The existing patents together with the new patent applications lead the board to conclude that the company has a strong patent situation and strong protection. Besides above Realheart is examining the possibility to license the technique to other companies.