Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy has announced its participation in a research consortium that has received a Department of Defense (DoD) Grant to investigate the use of intravenous interferon beta (Traumakine) for the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury in battlefield victims when using a lifesaving tourniquet for the prevention of excessive blood loss. The study, named Resuscitation by Endothelial Stabilization and Targeted Oxygen Rescue (RESTOR) Platform for Battlefield Applications, involves Duquesne University School of Pharmacy and Wake Forest Medical University Health Sciences.
The aim of Traumakine in this setting would be to improve survival and limb salvage by attenuating ischemia-reperfusion injury if a tourniquet was needed. If the results of these upcoming pre-clinical experiments are positive, this could open an avenue for approval without extensive human clinical studies. Dr. Juho Jalkanen, Chief Executive Officer of Faron, stated, "We envision that the best outcomes with intravenous interferon beta can be achieved when the drug is used for the prevention, and not necessarily treatment, of systemic inflammation and organ damage."
The company is pleased to see the DoD's continued support for this research group and the Traumakine program. Dr. Jalkanen also mentioned that if the RESTOR study yields positive results, it could bolster Traumakine's path to market in this setting, and the company should consider investing further into the program or find a partner for it.
Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on tackling cancers via novel immunotherapies. Its lead asset is bexmarilimab, a novel anti-Clever-1 humanized antibody, being investigated in Phase I/II clinical trials as a potential therapy for patients with hematological cancers in combination with other standard treatments. For more information, visit www.faron.com.