Anthem Inc. Issues Positive Coverage Decision for Balloon Sinus Dilation

PLYMOUTH, Minn., Nov. 13, 2017 -- Entellus Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTL), a medical technology company focused on delivering minimally invasive ENT procedures, today announced that Anthem, Inc. now covers balloon sinus dilation (BSD) for the treatment of chronic and recurrent acute sinusitis. Anthem, the largest member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is the nation’s second largest health benefits company with plans that cover over 40 million lives, or 12.5% of the population of the United States.

This new policy extends coverage to patients with both chronic and recurrent acute sinusitis.  This includes patients with documented evidence of sinus disease upon physician examination, via nasal endoscopy, or on a computer tomographic (CT) scan. The overall criteria for coverage closely aligns with the recently developed clinical consensus statement soon to be published by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgeons (AAO-HNS) on balloon dilation of sinuses. 

“The recent positive coverage decision by Anthem brings total covered lives for BSD in the United States to over 290 million, enabling broad availability of cost effective solutions for the treatment of chronic sinusitis with our XprESS system,” said Robert White, President and Chief Executive Officer of Entellus Medical. “We have considerable momentum driven by our broad portfolio and pipeline, clinical programs, and expanded reimbursement to improve patients’ lives.”

With the Anthem policy change, approximately 95% of insured patients in the United States now have access to balloon dilation of the sinuses as covered treatment option when appropriate.  This policy change further underscores clinician and payer confidence in the safety and efficacy of BSD as established by a significant body of clinical evidence, and in the value of this technology intended to enable better patient outcomes in more cost-effective sites of care.

About Entellus Medical, Inc.

Entellus is a medical technology company focused on delivering superior patient and physician experiences through products designed for less invasive treatments.  Entellus products are used for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with chronic and recurrent sinusitis, patients with nasal airway obstruction, as well as adult patients with persistent Eustachian tube dysfunction.  The Entellus platform of products provides safe, effective and easy-to-use solutions intended to enable treatment of patients in more cost-effective sites of care. Entellus’s product lines including the XprESS™ ENT Dilation System, Latera™ Absorbable Nasal Implant, MiniFESS™ Surgical Instruments, XeroGel Nasal Dressing and FocESS™ Imaging & Navigation combine to enable ENT physicians to conveniently and comfortably perform a broad range of procedures in the most cost effective and efficient site of care. Entellus is committed to broadening its product portfolio with high-quality and purposeful innovations for the global ENT market.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements contained in this release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “continue,” “future,” other words of similar meaning and the use of future dates.  Forward-looking statements in this release include the anticipated benefits of Entellus’s balloon sinus dilation products and the momentum of its business. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Entellus’s management and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Entellus’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, Entellus’s future operating results and financial performance; adequate levels of coverage or reimbursement for procedures using the company’s products; competition; ability to expand, manage and maintain its direct sales organization and market and sell its products in the United States and internationally, especially after its recent acquisition of Spirox, Inc.; risks and uncertainties involved in its international operations; the compliance of its products and activities with the laws and regulations of the countries in which they are marketed; failure or delay in obtaining FDA or other regulatory approvals or the effect of FDA or other regulatory actions; risk of product recalls, product liability claims and litigation and inadequate insurance coverage relating thereto; and intellectual property disputes. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in this release can be found under the caption “Risk Factors” in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. Entellus undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, even if subsequent events cause its views to change.

Contact:
Lynn Pieper Lewis
415-937-5402
[email protected]