August 8, 2013 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Biomedica’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ClotFoam, a novel hemostat for intraoperative hemorrhage. The company will now conduct clinical trials supported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. ClotFoam was originally conceived to control severe hemorrhage without need of compression in order to address unmet needs in gynecology, combat trauma and emergency medicine, as well as treatment of trauma in the operating room. Current trials are designed to prove the safety and efficacy of the product as an adjunct in solid organ hemorrhage. Once the agent is approved for this indication, the company will conduct additional trials as a primary treatment in trauma patients.
ClotFoam’s ability to control bleeding is based on rapid and powerful activity of fibrin monomer carried by a foam with high affinity to endothelial tissue. ClotFoam has shown promising results in animal models of large organ resection without need of compression and with minimally invasive application methods. Preliminary assays indicate that the agent is also effective in controlling severe acute menstrual cycle disorders (i.e. menorraghia) and post-partum hemorrhage, which is the most common cause of perinatal maternal death in the developed world and is a major cause of maternal morbidity worldwide. These types of severe clinical situations are well adapted for the ClotFoam technology because of its self-expanding and non-compressible hemostatic action, unlike common hemostats available in the operating room today.
Biomedica plans to complete Phase I in the course of 2013 and initiate Phase 2 clinical trials as an adjunct to hemostasis in the first quarter of 2014. The company has requested Fast Track Designation for ClotFoam. This designation is reserved for drugs that advance novel technologies, and are expected to provide significant therapeutic advantages over existing products while addressing unmet medical needs. Fast Track designation benefits form priority review status. Orphan Drug Status will be requested for the ClotFoam Battlefield special formulation. Orphan drug designation qualifies a company for several benefits under the Orphan Drug Act of 1983. The benefits apply across all stages of drug development and include accelerated approval process; seven years of market exclusivity following marketing approval; tax credits on U.S. clinical trials; eligibility for orphan drug grants; and waiver of certain administrative fees.
For more information: biomedic.net
October 27, 2021 
