New Treatment Concept for Sepsis

A new treatment concept for sepsis patients is based on a short peptide that in predictive sepsis models increased survival rates to 85%.

Predictive animal models have also shown a significant benefit from the peptide, called FX06, for the treatment of sepsis. A generalized uncontrolled inflammation is the major cause of sepsis. Up to 50% of patients succumb to the disease. The new treatment is being developed by Fibrex Medical Research & Development GmbH (Vienna, Austria).

"Inflammation is necessary to defend the body against infections, but sometimes this inflammatory process gets out of control and induces destruction of healthy tissue,” explained Peter Petzelbauer, chief scientific officer of Fibrex. The company is planning to start clinical tests at the end of 2008. FX06 is also in development for the prevention of reperfusion injury following revascularization treatment after a heart attack. Phase I clinical trials for this indication will be initiated in December 2005. Fibrex notes that the company has received more than U.S.$10 million in financing from venture capitalists this year to aid its projects.

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in noncoronary intensive care units. Worldwide, around 1,400 people a day die from sepsis. In the United States alone, 760,000 new cases of sepsis are recorded each year.




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