Stéphane Piat, Previously Division Vice President of Abbott in California, Has Been Appointed CEO of CARMAT

PARIS--()--Regulatory News:

CARMAT (Paris:ALCAR) (FR0010907956, ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world’s most advanced artificial heart project, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, today announces the appointment of Stéphane Piat as the Company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2016.

Stéphane Piat is an acknowledged specialist in the medical device business, particularly in the field of cardiology. An Economics & Marketing graduate, he has spent most of his career in major Life Sciences companies such as Johnson & Johnson Cordis (2002-2007), where he notably led the commercial launch of the world’s first active stent that became a global blockbuster (generating revenue of $2.6 billion in 2006). In 2007, Stéphane Piat joined the Abbott group’s cardiology division as General Manager of Abbott Vascular Mid-Size Europe. In 2009, he was appointed General Manager EMEA of the activity resulting from Abbott’s acquisition of Evalve. He notably successfully headed the clinical and commercial development of a new interventional cardiology product, Mitraclip. Prior to joining CARMAT, Stéphane Piat was Division Vice President, Global Market Development, within Abbott Vascular’s Structural Heart division in San Francisco.

Jean-Claude Cadudal, Chairman of CARMAT’s Board of Directors, comments: We are delighted to welcome Stéphane, a highly experienced manager in interventional cardiology, as CARMAT’s new Chief Executive Officer, at a time when CARMAT is entering a new stage of its development. The Board of Directors is convinced that Stéphane Piat has the experience and necessary leadership, as well as the professional recognition of the key opinion leaders, to steer the Company towards clinical, industrial and commercial success. The Board of Directors would like to welcome him and ensure him that he has our full support in carrying out his mission.

Stéphane Piat, CEO of CARMAT, adds: It is with enthusiasm that I have accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, a French company whose immeasurable contribution to the global issue that is end-stage heart failure has been clearly established. Having worked in various senior positions in the cardiovascular domain, I can but admire CARMAT’s technological breakthrough. I firmly believe that, with CARMAT’s cutting-edge teams and the collaboration of leading clinicians in Europe and the United States, we will – with the trust of its shareholders – drive this company towards the lasting success it deserves.

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About CARMAT: the world’s most advanced total artificial heart project

A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world’s leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States.

The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards® heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader.

Imitating the natural heart: given its size, the choice of structural materials and its innovative physiological functions, CARMAT’s total artificial heart could, assuming the necessary clinical trials are successful, potentially benefit the lives of thousands of patients a year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life.

A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of €33 million.

Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Airbus Group (Matra Défense), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD, Air Liquide’s venture capital investor, CorNovum, an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State, the family offices of Pierre Bastid (ZAKA) and of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Santé Holdings S.R.L.) as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT.

For more information: www.carmatsa.com

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Disclaimer

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT ("the Company") in any country. This press release contains forward‐looking statements that relate to the Company’s objectives. Such forward‐looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company’s management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company’s products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company’s objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties.

No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Document de Référence filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers under number D.16-0221 on March 29, 2016 and changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company’s ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of the ANSM, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and tests required for CE marking and to obtain the CE mark. CARMAT products are currently exclusively used within the framework of clinical trials.

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Contacts

CARMAT
Benoît de la Motte
CFO
Tel.: +33 (0)1 39 45 64 50
contact@carmatsas.com
or
Alize RP
Press Relations
Caroline Carmagnol
Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 54 36 66
carmat@alizerp.com
or
NewCap
Investor Relations &
Strategic Communication
Dusan Oresansky
Emmanuel Huynh
Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94
carmat@newcap.eu

Contacts

CARMAT
Benoît de la Motte
CFO
Tel.: +33 (0)1 39 45 64 50
contact@carmatsas.com
or
Alize RP
Press Relations
Caroline Carmagnol
Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 54 36 66
carmat@alizerp.com
or
NewCap
Investor Relations &
Strategic Communication
Dusan Oresansky
Emmanuel Huynh
Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94
carmat@newcap.eu