Japan Performs First Insurance-Covered iPS-Derived Heart Patch Surgery

In Osaka, surgeons implanted a sheet of heart muscle derived from induced pluripotent stem cells onto a female patient in her 50s, the first such operation covered by Japan’s national health insurance. The 50-minute surgery was performed by Professor emeritus Yoshihiko Sawa at Osaka Keisatsu Hospital using RiHeart, a patch developed by the startup Cuorips Inc. The patient, who comes from Kanagawa Prefecture, is reported to be in stable condition and is expected to be discharged within two to four weeks.

The treatment costs 53.2 million yen per patient and is limited to those who have not responded adequately to existing therapies. RiHeart was conditionally approved in March and became eligible for insurance reimbursement on Sept. 1, with full approval contingent on proven efficacy by 2033. Clinical trials previously showed symptom relief and improved heart function in all eight participants.