Nuwellis announces pilot agreement with DaVita

Nuwellis (NUWE) announced it has entered into a Supply and Collaboration Agreement with DaVita (DVA) to pilot Aquadex ultrafiltration therapy to treat adult patients with congestive heart failure and related conditions within select U.S. markets. Today, DaVita provides extracorporeal therapies such as continuous renal replacement therapy and apheresis to patients across a network of hospitals and outpatient clinics. Pairing the Aquadex system with DaVita’s care team could expand access to ultrafiltration therapy to millions of heart failure patients in the U.S. suffering from fluid overload and reduce related healthcare costs for providers and payers. “We are honored that DaVita is collaborating with Nuwellis to pilot a services model alongside Aquadex,” said Nestor Jaramillo, Jr., President and CEO of Nuwellis. “We believe DaVita’s clinical infrastructure could potentially help accelerate the clinical adoption of ultrafiltration when first-line medical treatments are ineffective. Our clinical and commercial teams are excited and ready to begin working together on the pilot program to introduce ultrafiltration to a broader patient population.” The pilot program is expected to launch by the end of the third quarter 2023 and extend through May 31, 2024. Via the pilot, ultrafiltration therapy using Aquadex would be available at a combination of DaVita’s hospital customers and outpatient center locations, with both companies collaborating on the roll-out of the therapy, clinician training, and patient support. At the conclusion of the pilot, DaVita has the option to extend the supply agreement with Nuwellis for continued provision of both inpatient and outpatient ultrafiltration services for up to 10 years.