Gambro and Novalung, two leading companies in the field of extracorporeal organ support, are joining forces to introduce a new therapy to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Many ICU patients are critically ill and frequently depend on organ support, such as mechanical ventilation or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Gambro's PrismaFlex is the world's most widely used platform for all continuous renal replacement modalities as well as liver support. The partnership will integrate Novalung's unique membrane gas exchange technology into the Prismaflex platform, adding CO2 removal to its therapeutic offering. Simple and reliable CO2 removal integrated in a well established blood purification platform is an unmet medical need in the ICU. It facilitates lung-protective ventilation, allowing a patient's lungs to heal faster and reduce the length of stay in the ICU.
Guido Oelkers, President and CEO of Gambro, says, "Gambro and Novalung have a very powerful combination in terms of global scale, with Gambro's leading intensive care blood therapy machine fleet, and Novalung's unique competence in lung support therapies. Our business ambition is to further expand our therapy offer in the intensive care segment. Through our partnership with Novalung we will be able to offer hospitals and care providers multiple organ support alternatives utilizing the same machine base while also improving therapy options for patients with acute lung and kidney failure".
Josef Bogenschütz, spokesman of Novalung's Managing Board, says "Gambro and Novalung are the first companies to combine respiratory and renal organ support therapies. The world leading CRRT machine base of Gambro is ideal to link both parties' vital organ support offerings in the ICU".
Georg Matheis, Managing Director of Novalung, says, "We are pleased to partner with Gambro. Together we can enable an additional option for lung support by removal of blood-based carbon dioxide, which will reduce the complications induced by invasive mechanical ventilation. We believe this is a win-win situation for patients and caregivers alike."
The companies are cooperating in late-stage development. First clinical applications is planned to commence by early 2013 and the product launch is aimed for second half 2013.
About the therapy:
The therapy objective is achieved by removal of carbon dioxide directly from the patient's blood. When the lung is failing and its function is significantly impaired, carbon dioxide will be cleared from the blood by means of extracorporeal gas exchange devices, so-called membrane ventilators.
In addition, this therapy provides a tool to correct the blood's pH value (acid/base balance) independent from the patient's lung, to reliably realize lung protective ventilation in patients on invasive mechanical ventilation (< 6 ml/kg tidal volume administered), and to reduce ventilator related complications (VALI, VAP, VIDD) as well as the time the patient must be connected to a ventilator.
About Prisma® and Prismaflex® systems
Gambro invented and developed the Prisma® and Prismaflex® systems to deliver highly advanced treatments for critically ill acute kidney injury patients (AKI) requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Gambro is a pioneer and global leader in the treatment of such patients. The Prisma® System, launched in 1995 in Europe and 1997 in the U.S., was the first automated, integrated system specifically designed to perform the complete range of CRRT modalities as well as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The Prismaflex® System, the next generation system for CRRT, was introduced in Europe in 2004 and in the U.S. in 2005.
About Gambro
Gambro is a global medical technology company and a leader in developing, manufacturing and supplying products and therapies for Kidney and Liver dialysis, Myeloma Kidney Therapy, and other extracorporeal therapies for Chronic and Acute patients. Gambro was founded in 1964 and has today 7 500 employees, production facilities in 9 countries, and sales in more than 100 countries.
Many ICU patients are critically ill and frequently depend on organ support, such as mechanical ventilation or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Gambro's PrismaFlex is the world's most widely used platform for all continuous renal replacement modalities as well as liver support. The partnership will integrate Novalung's unique membrane gas exchange technology into the Prismaflex platform, adding CO2 removal to its therapeutic offering. Simple and reliable CO2 removal integrated in a well established blood purification platform is an unmet medical need in the ICU. It facilitates lung-protective ventilation, allowing a patient's lungs to heal faster and reduce the length of stay in the ICU.
Guido Oelkers, President and CEO of Gambro, says, "Gambro and Novalung have a very powerful combination in terms of global scale, with Gambro's leading intensive care blood therapy machine fleet, and Novalung's unique competence in lung support therapies. Our business ambition is to further expand our therapy offer in the intensive care segment. Through our partnership with Novalung we will be able to offer hospitals and care providers multiple organ support alternatives utilizing the same machine base while also improving therapy options for patients with acute lung and kidney failure".
Josef Bogenschütz, spokesman of Novalung's Managing Board, says "Gambro and Novalung are the first companies to combine respiratory and renal organ support therapies. The world leading CRRT machine base of Gambro is ideal to link both parties' vital organ support offerings in the ICU".
Georg Matheis, Managing Director of Novalung, says, "We are pleased to partner with Gambro. Together we can enable an additional option for lung support by removal of blood-based carbon dioxide, which will reduce the complications induced by invasive mechanical ventilation. We believe this is a win-win situation for patients and caregivers alike."
The companies are cooperating in late-stage development. First clinical applications is planned to commence by early 2013 and the product launch is aimed for second half 2013.
About the therapy:
The therapy objective is achieved by removal of carbon dioxide directly from the patient's blood. When the lung is failing and its function is significantly impaired, carbon dioxide will be cleared from the blood by means of extracorporeal gas exchange devices, so-called membrane ventilators.
In addition, this therapy provides a tool to correct the blood's pH value (acid/base balance) independent from the patient's lung, to reliably realize lung protective ventilation in patients on invasive mechanical ventilation (< 6 ml/kg tidal volume administered), and to reduce ventilator related complications (VALI, VAP, VIDD) as well as the time the patient must be connected to a ventilator.
About Prisma® and Prismaflex® systems
Gambro invented and developed the Prisma® and Prismaflex® systems to deliver highly advanced treatments for critically ill acute kidney injury patients (AKI) requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Gambro is a pioneer and global leader in the treatment of such patients. The Prisma® System, launched in 1995 in Europe and 1997 in the U.S., was the first automated, integrated system specifically designed to perform the complete range of CRRT modalities as well as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The Prismaflex® System, the next generation system for CRRT, was introduced in Europe in 2004 and in the U.S. in 2005.
About Gambro
Gambro is a global medical technology company and a leader in developing, manufacturing and supplying products and therapies for Kidney and Liver dialysis, Myeloma Kidney Therapy, and other extracorporeal therapies for Chronic and Acute patients. Gambro was founded in 1964 and has today 7 500 employees, production facilities in 9 countries, and sales in more than 100 countries.
