The Product
Prostaglandin E1 PGE-1
Endovasc's main product, lyophilized liposomal Prostaglandin E1 (PGE-1), is a site-specific drug delivery method for treating vascular restenosis and thrombosis (vascular blood clot) through intravascular balloons during angioplasty and stent use. PGE-1 is a potent, naturally occurring hormone that shows encouraging indications of preventing second blockage, or restinosis, if used concurrently with angioplasty. Unfortunately, PGE-1 survives in the blood stream for less than one minute.
To combat the short lifecycle, Endovasc recently developed a Prostaglandin delivery method that places Prostaglandin into microscopic-size particles. The particles constitute an "artificial cell" called a liposome, which can penetrate the diseased vessel wall. Upon penetration, the liposome is designed for timed release within the vessel wall, providing controlled drug release over a matter of days as opposed to minutes.
Recent studies at the Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute of Houston demonstrated a reduction in restenosis in a pig model. This study not only showed inhibited smooth muscle cell proliferation, but stabilization of vessel wall remodeling.
Preliminary research indicates that this perplexing reoccurring disease may be prevented, opening a very large market for PGE-1 in treating forms of cardiovascular disease.
Further results will be released after the concurrent studies of PGE-1 at the Polyclinique d' Essey-les-Nancy and University of Texas at Houston, focusing on limb salvage for patients faced with amputation, have begun. The method of using small drug-carrying liposomes is on the forefront of a new era in drug treatment, x-ray imaging and MRI imaging. |
