Neovasc Receives NASDAQ Notification Regarding Minimum Bid Requirements

VANCOUVER, Jan. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Neovasc Inc. ("Neovasc" or the "Company") (NASDAQ, TSX:NVCN) announced today that it has received written notification (the "Notification Letter") from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq") notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq Rules for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of US $1.00 per share, and Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Based on the closing bid price of the Company's common stock for the 30 consecutive business days from November 14, 2017, the Company no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement.

The Notification Letter does not impact the Company's listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market at this time. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has been provided 180 calendar days, or until July 2, 2018, to regain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). To regain compliance, the Company's common shares must have a closing bid price of at least US $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by July 2, 2018, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance.

The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its common shares between now and July 2, 2018 and intends to cure the deficiency within the prescribed grace period. During this time, the Company's common shares will continue to be listed and trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The Company's business operations are not affected by the receipt of the Notification Letter.

The Company is also listed on the TSX and the Notification Letter does not affect the Company's compliance status with such listing.

About Neovasc Inc. 
Neovasc is a specialty medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for the rapidly growing cardiovascular marketplace. Its products include the Reducer, for the treatment of refractory angina which is not currently available in the United States and has been available in Europe since 2015 and the Tiara, for the transcatheter treatment of mitral valve disease, which is currently under investigation in the United States, Canada and Europe. The Company also sells a line of advanced biological tissue products that are used as key components in third-party medical products including transcatheter heart valves. For more information, visit: www.neovasc.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws regarding the Company's plans to cure the Nasdaq minimum bid deficiency within the prescribed grace period. Words and phrases such as "intends", "continue" and "will", and similar words or expressions, are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances.  Many factors and assumptions could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; risks relating to the Company's need for significant additional future capital and the Company's ability to raise additional funding; risks relating to the Warrants and Notes, offered pursuant to the November 2017 public offering of units and private placement of senior secured convertible notes and warrants (the "Financings"), resulting in significant dilution to the Company's shareholders; risks relating to the possibility that the Company's Common Shares may be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market or the Toronto Stock Exchange, which could affect their market price and liquidity; risks relating to it being more expensive for the Company to raise capital in the future and dilution to investors; risks relating to the Company's Common Share price being volatile; risks relating to the sale of a significant number of Common Shares; risks relating to the restrictions on the Company entering into certain transactions; risks relating to the exercise of Warrants or conversion of Notes offered pursuant to the Financings, which may encourage short sales by third parties; risks relating to claims by third parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights; the Company's ability to establish, maintain and defend intellectual property rights in the Company's products; risks relating to results from clinical trials of the Company's products, which may be unfavorable or perceived as unfavorable; the Company's history of losses and significant accumulated deficit; risks associated with product liability claims, insurance and recalls; risks relating to competition in the medical device industry, including the risk that one or more competitors may develop more effective or more affordable products; risks relating to the Company's ability to achieve or maintain expected levels of market acceptance for the Company's products, as well as the Company's ability to successfully build the Company's in-house sales capabilities or secure third-party marketing or distribution partners; the Company's ability to convince public payors and hospitals to include the Company's products on their approved products lists; risks relating to new legislation, new regulatory requirements and the efforts of governmental and third party payors to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare; risks relating to increased regulation, enforcement and inspections of participants in the medical device industry, including frequent government investigations into marketing and other business practices; risks associated with the extensive regulation of the Company's products and trials by governmental authorities, as well as the cost and time delays associated therewith; risks associated with post-market regulation of the Company's products; health and safety risks associated with the Company's products and the Company's industry; risks associated with the Company's manufacturing operations, including the regulation of the Company's manufacturing processes by governmental authorities and the availability of two critical components of the Reducer; risk of animal disease associated with the use of the Company's products; risks relating to the manufacturing capacity of third-party manufacturers for the Company's products, including risks of supply interruptions impacting the Company's ability to manufacture its own products; risks relating to breaches of anti-bribery laws by the Company's employees or agents; risks associated with future changes in financial accounting standards and new accounting pronouncements; risks relating to the Company's dependence upon key personnel to achieve the Company's business objectives; the Company's ability to maintain strong relationships with physicians; risks relating to the sufficiency of the Company's management systems and resources in periods of significant growth; risks associated with consolidation in the health care industry, including the downward pressure on product pricing and the growing need to be selected by larger customers in order to make sales to their members or participants; the Company's ability to successfully identify and complete corporate transactions on favorable terms or achieve anticipated synergies relating to any acquisitions or alliances; anti-takeover provisions in the Company's constating documents which could discourage a third party from making a takeover bid beneficial to the Company's shareholders; risks relating to conflicts of interests among the Company's officers and directors as a result of their involvement with other issuers; and risks relating to the influence of significant shareholders of the Company over the Company's business operations and share price. These risk factors and others relating to the Company are discussed in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" sections of the Company's Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, each of which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F, and the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the third quarter of 2017 (copies of which filings may be obtained at at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.  The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.     

SOURCE Neovasc Inc.