St. Jude Medical says European Union regulators approved its Trifecta aortic heart valve

St. Jude gets EU approval for Trifecta valve

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Medical device maker St. Jude Medical Inc. said Tuesday that European regulators approved sales of its Trifecta replacement heart valve.

St. Jude said the valve is used to replace aortic valves that are diseased, damaged or malfunctioning. It said Trifecta is designed to closely match the blood flow of a healthy heart. The device is partly made of tissue from the pericardium — a sac that surrounds the heart, along with a frame called a stent.

The CE Mark approval allows St. Jude to sell the device in the European Union. In afternoon trading, St. Jude shares rose 39 cents to $39.23.

(This version corrects detail on stent and adds background on device and shares price.)