U.S.-Chinese Alliance to Develop Septic Shock Therapy

A partnering agreement to develop and market a new treatment for septic shock patients in China and South Korea has been announced by Medinox, Inc. (Carlsbad, CA, USA) and PUMC Pharmaceutical Company (Beijing, China).

Under the terms of the agreement, PUMC is responsible for registration, reimbursement, manufacturing, and marketing NOX-100 (Norathiol) in the territories. Medinox will receive milestone payments and a royalty on the commercialized product. Septic shock is caused by a systemic immune response to infection or trauma, which often leads to multi-organ failure and death.

NOX-100 is the first in a series of proprietary small-molecule anti-nitric oxide (NO) agents created by Medinox. An early trial of NOX-100 in January 2004 showed a beneficial effect with a possible survival advantage and an excellent safety profile in patients with severe septic shock. The NO neutralizers represent a novel therapeutic approach by removing the dangerously overproduced NO in inflamed tissues while sparing the low levels of NO in normal tissues that are necessary for many ongoing organ functions.

"NOX-100 may prove to be the first breakthrough for the treatment of septic shock,” commented Raymond Su, chairman of PUMC. "We are pleased that Medinox entrusted us to develop this exciting product and we look forward to collaborating with them as we move this product toward the market.”


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