Partnership opportunity
Speedel Holding of Basel, Switzerland, has decided that it will not continue development of its thrombin inhibitor SPP200 on its own and is now searching for a commercialisation partner.
SPP200 is a long-acting direct thrombin inhibitor designed to prevent the formation of clots in vascular grafts of patients undergoing haemodialysis. A US phase II trial in 127 patients showed the compound is safe and also provided clinically relevant and significant efficacy data.
Vascular graft occlusion occurs in patients when a clot forms in the graft connecting a patient to the dialysis machine. The study compared the safety profile of SPP200 to that of unfractionated heparin which, in the US, is the standard anti-coagulant in haemodialysis.
Patients on chronic haemodialysis must generally be connected to a dialysis machine via a graft several times a week. Maintenance of the graft is one of the most challenging problems. Anti-coagulants are given to reduce clotting during dialysis sessions, but despite these precautions the grafts still have a clotting rate of 30 to 65 per cent a year.
SPP200 is designed to prevent clot formation in the graft. It has a long duration of action (over 100 hours) and is not removed from the patient's body during dialysis, unlike unfractionated heparin.
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