- IVF JAPAN Begins Preceptorship Program with AUGMENT Treatment -
WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2015--
OvaScienceSM (NASDAQ:OVAS), a global fertility company
focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of new
treatment options, today announced the AUGMENTSM fertility
treatment is being offered in Japan through a preceptorship program at
IVF JAPAN, one of the most prestigious fertility clinic systems in
Japan. The initiation of the preceptorship program, in which patients
will receive the AUGMENT treatment, follows approval from the Japan
Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG).
“The introduction of the AUGMENT treatment in Japan represents an
important milestone for patients,” said Michelle Dipp, M.D., Ph.D.,
Chief Executive Officer of OvaScience. “We look forward to working to
expand the availability of the AUGMENT treatment to women who experience
poor egg health and are in need of new fertility treatment options.”
Under the leadership of Professor Yoshiharu Morimoto, M.D., Ph.D., IVF
JAPAN conducts a combined 10,000 in vitro fertilization (IVF)
cycles annually at its three clinics. Professor Morimoto is the
President of the Pacific Society of Reproductive Medicine, the Past
President of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction, the President
of the Japan Society of Assisted Reproduction and the President of the
Japan Society of Reproductive Psychology. Japan is the world’s largest
IVF market, accounting for more than 326,000 IVF cycles annually.1
IVF JAPAN is the first clinic network to offer the AUGMENT treatment in
the region. The treatment is being offered through a preceptorship
program, designed for the clinic to obtain patient experience and
training before offering the treatment more broadly.
“Bringing forward innovative technologies on behalf of our patients is
part of our mission at IVF JAPAN,” said Professor Morimoto, Chief
Executive Officer of IVF JAPAN. “We are encouraged by the patient
experiences with the AUGMENT treatment published to date, and look
forward to seeing how it may improve the chance of success for women who
are experiencing poor egg and embryo quality in our clinic.”
The AUGMENT treatment is not available in the United States.
About the AUGMENTSM Treatment
The AUGMENT treatment is the first fertility treatment available to
patients based on OvaScience’s proprietary egg precursor (EggPCSM)
cell technology. The AUGMENT treatment is designed to improve the health
of a woman’s existing eggs and enhance the IVF procedure. The AUGMENT
treatment uses energy-producing mitochondria from a woman’s own EggPC
cells, which are immature egg cells found in the protective lining of
the ovaries, to supplement the existing mitochondria in her eggs. This
treatment is designed to improve egg health by increasing the eggs’
energy levels for embryo development. Egg health is a key factor in IVF
success. The AUGMENT treatment is available in select international IVF
clinics, and positive clinical experiences of pregnancies and births
with the treatment have been reported. The AUGMENT treatment is not
available in the United States. For more information, please visit www.augmenttreatment.com.
About OvaScience
OvaScience (NASDAQ: OVAS) is a global fertility company dedicated to
improving treatment options for women around the world. OvaScience is
discovering, developing and commercializing new fertility treatments
because we believe women deserve more options. Each OvaScience treatment
is based on the Company’s proprietary technology platform that leverages
the breakthrough discovery of egg precursor (EggPCSM) cells –
immature egg cells found inside the protective ovarian lining. The
AUGMENTSM treatment, a fertility option specifically designed
to improve egg health, is available in certain IVF clinics in select
international regions. OvaScience has commenced a preceptorship program
with the OvaPrimeSM treatment, which could increase a woman’s
egg reserve, and is developing the OvaTureSM treatment, a
potential next-generation IVF treatment that could help a woman produce
healthy, young, fertilizable eggs without hormone injections. OvaScience
treatments are not available in the United States. For more information,
please visit www.ovascience.com
and www.augmenttreatment.com
and connect with us on Twitter
and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements about the
Company’s plans for the AUGMENT treatment and two fertility treatments
in development, including statements relating to the expanded
availability of the AUGMENT treatment and future use in Japan. Actual
results may differ materially from those indicated by these
forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors,
including risks related to: the possibility that international IVF
clinics that we work with, including those in Japan, may determine not
to provide or continue providing the AUGMENT treatment, or to delay such
treatment, based on clinical efficacy, safety or commercial, logistic,
regulatory or other reasons; the science underlying our treatment and
treatments in development (including the AUGMENT, OvaPrime and OvaTure
treatments), which is unproven; our ability to obtain regulatory
approval where necessary for our potential treatments; our ability to
develop our potential treatments, including the OvaPrime and OvaTure
treatments, on the timelines we expect, if at all; our ability to
commercialize the AUGMENT treatment and our potential treatments,
including the OvaPrime treatment, on the timelines we expect, if at all;
as well as those risks more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors”
section of our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and/or
Annual Report on Form 10-K. The forward-looking statements contained in
this press release reflect our current views with respect to future
events. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause
our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these
forward-looking statements in the future, we specifically disclaim any
obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be
relied upon as representing our view as of any date subsequent to the
date hereof.
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1 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Source: OvaScience
Media
OvaScience
Cara Mayfield, 617-714-9638
Director,
Corporate Communications
cmayfield@ovascience.com
or
Michael
Devine, 212-453-2324
michael.devine@fleishman.com