Avinger’s Pantheris Named a 2017 Gold Edison Award Winner

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and NEW YORK, April 24, 2017 -- Avinger, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGR), a leading developer of innovative treatments for peripheral artery disease (PAD), was honored at the 2017 Edison Awards™ in the Medical/Dental Surgical Tool category with gold for Pantheris, the first-ever image-guided atherectomy device for the treatment of PAD. Avinger was nominated among hundreds of the world’s most recognized companies to acknowledge dedication and commitment of innovation to create a positive impact in the world.

The ballot of nominees for the Edison Awards was judged by a panel of more than 3,000 leading business executives including past award winners, academics and leaders in the fields of product development, design, engineering, science and medical technology. 

Atherectomy is a minimally invasive treatment for PAD in which a catheter-based device is used to remove plaque from a blood vessel. Lumivascular technology utilized in the Pantheris system allows physicians, for the first time ever, to see from inside the artery during a directional atherectomy procedure by using an imaging modality called optical coherence tomography, or OCT. In the past, physicians have had to rely solely on X-ray as well as touch and feel to guide their tools while they try to treat complicated arterial disease. With the lumivascular approach, physicians can more accurately navigate their devices and treat PAD lesions, thanks to the OCT images they see from inside the artery.

“This honor highlights the commitment Avinger has to bring the most advanced technology to market for physicians dedicated to treating PAD and their patients who are affected by this disease,” said John B. Simpson, Ph.D., M.D., the company’s founder and executive chairman. “Pantheris radically changes the treatment of vascular disease and the Edison Award represents a win for our entire Lumivascular portfolio.”

According to the Edison Awards website, an Edison Award is one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of innovation and business success. The awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) whose inventions, new product development methods and innovative achievements literally changed the world, garnered him 1,093 U.S. patents, and made him a global household name. 

“Our judges recognized Avinger’s Pantheris technology as a true innovator out of the many products in its category,” said Frank Bonafilia, executive director of the Edison Awards.

About Avinger, Inc.
Avinger, Inc. is a commercial-stage medical device company that designs, manufactures and sells image-guided catheter-based systems for the treatment of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is characterized by a build-up of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the arms and legs. The company’s mission is to dramatically improve the treatment of vascular disease through the introduction of products based on its lumivascular platform, the only intravascular image-guided system of therapeutic catheters available in this market. Avinger’s current lumivascular products include the Lightbox™ imaging console, the Ocelot™ family of catheters, which are designed to penetrate total arterial blockages, known as chronic total occlusions, or CTOs, and Pantheris™, the first-ever image-guided atherectomy device, designed to precisely remove arterial plaque in PAD patients. For more information, please visit www.avinger.com.

About the Edison Awards™
The Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The Awards have been recognizing and honoring the best in innovations and innovators since 1987. They honor game-changing innovations that are at the forefront of new product and service development, marketing and human-centered design, and are one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of successful innovation. For more information about the Edison Awards complete program and a list of past winners, visit www.edisonawards.com.

INVESTOR CONTACT 
Matt Ferguson
Avinger, Inc.
(650) 241-7917
[email protected]