Vasogen Announces Implementation of Strategic Restruct...( MISSISSAUGA ON April 14 / Vasogen...)

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Vasogen Inc. (NASDAQ:VSGN; TSX:VAS), today announced that it has implemented a strategic restructuring plan to significantly reduce its cash burn rate and focus its efforts on opportunities that the Board and management believe are most likely to provide long-term shareholder value. This plan re-focuses Vasogen's resources on the development of its VP series of drugs while the Company seeks alternatives to fund further development of the Celacade(TM) System, the Company's technology for the treatment of chronic heart failure. As a result of this restructuring, which reduces Vasogen's work force by approximately 85%, the Company expects to have approximately two years of cash resources.

As previously reported, Vasogen has encountered significant delays with the FDA regarding the design of ACCAIM II, a clinical trial to support an application for U.S. market approval of Celacade for the treatment of patients with NYHA Class II heart failure. Given these delays, Vasogen's current lack of access to capital, and the uncertainty surrounding the FDA's continued opposition to a relatively small trial utilizing a Bayesian statistical design, the Company has placed on hold plans to fund ACCLAIM II. The Company will, however, continue to work with the FDA towards finalizing the design of ACCLAIM II, and will evaluate potential strategic alternatives to fund such a study. In addition, subsequent to the recent receipt of a much lower than anticipated revenue forecast for Celacade from its European marketing partner, Grupo Ferrer, Vasogen plans to discontinue operational and financial support for European commercialization and is exploring alternative strategies with Ferrer. Ferrer's sales forec
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