Extensive Intellectual Property Portfolio Now Includes 149 Patents and Applications

REDWOOD CITY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 17, 2019 / Avinger, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGR), a leading developer of image-guided, catheter-based systems for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), today announced the issuance of a new U.S. patent related to the Company's proprietary optical coherence tomography (OCT) intravascular imaging system. The Company also announced the allowance of five additional U.S. patent applications that are expected to issue over the next six months.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. Patent No. 10,244,934, titled 'Atherectomy Catheter Drive Assemblies,' on April 2, 2019. The patent covers drive assemblies, which are a key component of the Company's proprietary OCT intravascular imaging system. These assemblies are currently used in the Company's Pantheris image-guided atherectomy systems and are integral to the Company's pipeline products.

Avinger has also received notices of allowance from the USPTO for five additional U.S. patents. These patents will provide coverage for key features related to the Company's OCT intravascular imaging system, the Pantheris family of atherectomy catheters, and the Company's next-generation high-speed CTO-crossing systems currently in development.

'Our R&D team continues to bring innovation to our product portfolio and advance our Lumivascular technology,' commented Jeff Soinski, Avinger's President and CEO. 'Pursuing and obtaining effective intellectual property protection for these innovations is a critical part of our growth strategy. We are pleased with the progress we are making in this area as we expand our issued patent portfolio and file new patent applications for our technologies.'

Avinger's extensive intellectual property portfolio now includes 149 patents and applications, including 27 issued and allowed U.S. patents, 27 pending U.S. applications, 47 issued and allowed patents outside the U.S., and 48 pending applications outside the U.S. The portfolio has broad applicability in the areas of atherectomy, CTO-crossing and intravascular imaging.

About Avinger, Inc.

Avinger is a commercial-stage medical device company that designs and develops the first-ever image-guided, catheter-based system that diagnoses and treats patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is estimated to affect over 12 million people in the U.S. and over 200 million worldwide. Avinger is dedicated to radically changing the way vascular disease is treated through its Lumivascular platform, which currently consists of the Lightbox imaging console, the Ocelot family of chronic total occlusion (CTO) catheters, and the Pantheris family of atherectomy devices. Avinger is based in Redwood City, California. For more information, please visit www.avinger.com.

Public Relations Contact:

Phil Preuss
VP of Marketing & Business Operations
Avinger, Inc.
(650) 241-7942
pr@avinger.com

Investor Contact:

Mark Weinswig
Chief Financial Officer
Avinger, Inc.
(650) 241-7916
ir@avinger.com

Matt Kreps
Darrow Associates Investor Relations
(214) 597-8200
mkreps@darrowir.com

SOURCE: Avinger, Inc.