Bioheart, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage. Their lead product candidate is MyoCell®, a clinical therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient’s heart with autologous muscle cells, or cells from the patient’s body, for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients.

In an unusual move, but one that shows how corporations can re-form themselves to the market and market conditions, Bioheart announced this week that it attained distribution rights to the aptly named Bioheart 3370 Heart Failure Monitor manufactured by RTX Healthcare A/S of Denmark. Bioheart, Inc. plans to commercialize the device for at-home use with congestive heart failure patients.

The device works through daily interactions and questions and collects vital signs that are transmitted to a database. It is available as both a wireless model and a dial-up model. The database is then remotely monitored by the patient’s physician, who looks for any changes that indicate a change in health status. It would be a huge benefit for those who suffer from congenital heart failure, since the failure is chronic and episodes can be frightening yet not fatal. A patient who knows he is being monitored may have a sense of security that he otherwise would not.

Moving from cell therapy development to distribution of an already developed product is a big change for a company. It may be what Bioheart needs as a new division to keep its research alive. Only the stock price will tell. Bioheart is currently trading at around $3.78. Its 52-week range is $2.23 to $5.25. Bioheart has yet to make a net income, which is not unusual for a research company. With this distribution agreement, though, net income may be easier to come by. Now may be time to start watching Bioheart.

What are your thoughts on changing the direction of a company?