BOSTON, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Vital Therapies, Inc. (VTI), announced today data from two studies of the company’s ELAD(R) (Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device) System were presented at the 2007 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting, which was held November 2-6 in Boston, Mass.
Terry Winters, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO said, “These data are consistent with our previous research and experience. ELAD is helping patients and the technology continues to be refined for optimum benefit. These are positive developments as we apply for marketing approval in China and advance our U.S. clinical program.”
To date, only liver transplantation has been shown to increase survival. However, demand for liver transplantation far exceeds the supply of donor livers, creating a need for an alternative, lifesaving therapy such as ELAD(R). In China alone, an estimated 160 million people suffer from chronic liver infections such as Hepatitis B and C.
About ELAD(R) (Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device)
The ELAD(R) system provides important metabolic support for patients with liver failure, enabling a bridge-to-transplant or recovery, depending on the type and severity of liver disease. The system consists of four cartridges containing cells that function like normal human liver hepatocytes. The cells metabolize toxins and remove waste products while delivering essential proteins into the plasma. These cartridges are incorporated into a blood pumping system at the patient’s bedside and enable continuous treatment for up to 12 days. The key to ELAD’s(R) performance is a proprietary human hepatocyte cell line that can be grown, stored and shipped worldwide.
About Vital Therapies. Inc.
Vital Therapies, Inc. is a private San Diego-based liver therapy company that was founded in 2003. It is developing the first human liver cell-based system which provides important metabolic support for patients with severe liver failure. The company’s manufacturing facility meets cGMP specifications to produce ELAD cartridges for patient treatment.
For more information, please visit VTI’s Website at http://www.vitaltherapies.com
CONTACT: Jan Barker, E.V.P., Marketing and Business Development, cell,
+1-415-710-0288, or Media, Kevin Knight, +1-972-385-9384, cell,
+1-214-732-9392, both of Vital Therapies, Inc.
Web site: http://www.vitaltherapies.com/
