Angiotech Initiates Anti-Infective CVC US Pivotal Study
Angiotech
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of its
Central
venous catheters are usually inserted into critically ill patients for extended
periods of time to administer fluids, drugs, and nutrition, as well as
facilitate frequent blood draws. One of the complications associated with CVC implantation is infection, which can occur when
bacteria contaminate the catheter. CVC infections
that progress to bloodstream infections, or septicemia, can become life
threatening. Approximately 3.5 million CVC catheters
are used in the
Angiotech
is developing its infection prevention platform using the drug 5-FU as a
non-traditional anti-infective in order to address concerns voiced by the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding overuse of traditional antibiotics,
which can contribute to an increase in the antibiotic resistance of bacteria.
Traditional anti-infective coatings are being used more frequently each year,
and are currently used on approximately 20 percent of CVC
products implanted.
"We
are excited to be participating in a study addressing such a pervasive and
critical issue," said Jorge Reyno, MD, an
infectious disease specialist at
"The
use of 5-FU as an anti-infective coating to prevent catheter-related
bloodstream infections is innovative and unique," said Stephen Heard, MD,
Chair, Department of Anesthesiology at University of Massachusetts Memorial
Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and
principal investigator. "(In vitro) data demonstrate that 5-FU has
antibacterial activity similar to current anti-infective catheter surfaces. We
are eager to see if these effects impact catheter colonization and bloodstream
infection in patients."
"Two
million patients contract hospital-based infections in the
About the
Anti-Infective CVC Trial:
The CVC trial is a randomized, single-blind, active-controlled,
two-arm, multi-center clinical study. The lead trial site is the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, with Dr. Stephen
Heard as principal investigator. The primary objective of the study is to
compare the Angiotech CVC
catheter to a leading anti-infective catheter with regards to preventing
bacterial colonization. Other objectives will include prevention of local
catheter-related infections or widespread bloodstream infections. Following favorable
study results, the company intends to request 510k market clearance for the
product from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About the
Angiotech Anti-Infective CVC
Technology:
Due to
the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the CDC has discouraged overuse
of traditional antibiotics to help avoid the creation of resistant strains and
has encouraged the search for alternative anti-infective strategies.
Angiotech
is actively developing a broad anti-infective platform using non-traditional
agents found through its proprietary drug screening process. This process
consists of screening thousands of approved pharmaceutical compounds and
discovering non-traditional applications for their use in local drug delivery
in combination with medical devices and biomaterials. Through this proprietary
drug identification strategy, Angiotech has chosen
5-FU as its lead compound, an FDA approved drug. Some of the advantages of 5-FU
include: 1) the ability to kill bacteria such as gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
which can be lethal pathogens, 2) the unique and valuable ability to help
prevent formation of biofilm, a slimy coating that
bacteria produce to protect them from traditional antibiotics, and 3) the fact
that it doesn't contribute to bacterial resistance against traditional
antibiotics.
About
RID:
The
Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) is a national organization, founded
by Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., dedicated to providing hospital administrators, caregivers,
insurers, and patients with the information they need to stop hospital
infections. RID's mission is threefold: to motivate
hospitals to make infection prevention a top priority; to inform patients about
the steps they can take to reduce their risk of infection; and to ensure that
no matter where you live, you can find out which hospitals in your area have
the worst infection problems. The Committee has a distinguished membership,
including Yale Professor, Dr. Sherwin Nuland, author
of The Doctor's Plague, a biography of Ignac Semmelweis, Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, founder of the American
Council on Science and Health, and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Joshua Lederberg, as well as corporate leaders, philanthropists,
and civic leaders. To find out more about RID, please visit their website at
http://www.hospitalinfection.org.
About Angiotech Pharmaceuticals
Vancouver-based
Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty
pharmaceutical company pioneering the combination of pharmaceutical compounds
with medical devices and biomaterials to both create novel solutions for poorly
addressed disease states and improve surgical outcomes. To find out more about Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANPI, TSX: ANP),
please visit our website at www.angiotech.com.
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