FDA panel backs septic shock treatment.A committee of outside experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration has endorsed a human antibody, HA-1A, for the treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections. The panel decided this month that the drug is safe and effective in quenching quenching Rapid cooling, as by immersion in oil or water, of a metal object from the high temperature at which it is shaped. Quenching is usually done to maintain mechanical properties that would be lost with slow cooling. the microbial microbial pertaining to or emanating from a microbe. microbial digestion the breakdown of organic material, especially feedstuffs, by microbial organisms. poisons that can kill people infected with gram-negative bacteria. Such bacteria thrive in patients with suppressed immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy. The microbes make endotoxins that can cause the organ failure of septic shock Septic Shock Definition Septic shock is a potentially lethal drop in blood pressure due to the presence of bacteria in the blood. Description Septic shock is a possible consequence of bacteremia, or bacteria in the bloodstream. . HA-1A binds to endotoxins, blocking their effects. Earlier this year, researchers reported that the antibody reduced deaths by 39 percent among a group of 200 patients with serious gram-negative infections (SN: 2/16/91, p.100). Centocor, Inc., of Malvern, Pa., makes HA-1A by culturing genetically engineered genetically engineered adjective Recombinant, see there human cells in the laboratory. Xoma Corp. of Berkeley, Calif., is using mouse cells to develop a similar drug. |
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