Ohmeda, AGA announce expanded R&D agreement on nitric oxide.LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and LIDINGO, Sweden--(HealthWire)-- Oct. 15, 1996--Ohmeda, the health care business of The BOC (Bell Operating Company) One of 22 companies that was formerly part of AT&T and later organized into seven regional companies. See RBOC. Group, and AGA AB have announced an agreement whereby the two companies will share preclinical and clinical data related to the therapeutic use of nitric oxide nitric oxide or nitrogen monoxide, a colorless gas formed by the combustion of nitrogen and oxygen as given by the reaction: energy + N2 + O2 → 2NO; m.p. −163.6°C;; b.p. −151.8°C;. (NO) in intensive care. The data is required by regulatory agencies to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of NO for two acute lung conditions -- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome acute respiratory distress syndrome n. See adult respiratory distress syndrome. (ARDS Ards District (pop., 2001: 73,244), Northern Ireland. Formerly part of County Down, Ards was established as a district in 1973. Much of its land is devoted to crops and pasture. Newtownards, settled c. 1608 by Scots, is its administrative seat and manufacturing centre. ) and hypoxic hypoxic a state of hypoxia. hypoxic cell sensitizers compounds that selectively sensitize hypoxic tumor cells to the effects of radiation. respiratory failure Respiratory Failure Definition Respiratory failure is nearly any condition that affects breathing function or the lungs themselves and can result in failure of the lungs to function properly. in the newborn. According to the agreement, AGA will access Ohmeda's Phase III clinical data. NO, a naturally occurring substance in the body, is believed to control the constriction constriction /con·stric·tion/ (kon-strik´shun) 1. a narrowing or compression of a part; a stricture.constric´tive 2. a diminution in range of thinking or feeling, associated with diminished spontaneity. and relaxation of blood vessels. Clinical studies are focusing on whether low concentrations of NO administered as an inhaled gas will benefit patients suffering from these potentially life-threatening lung conditions by relaxing pulmonary pressure and increasing oxygenation oxygenation /ox·y·gen·a·tion/ (ok?si-je-na´shun) 1. the act or process of adding oxygen. 2. the result of having oxygen added. . AGA and Ohmeda have signed licensing agreements with Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital Health care The major teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, widely regarded as one of the best health care centers in the world in Boston covering rights to a patent for the use of NO in the treatment of certain lung and bronchial bronchial /bron·chi·al/ (brong´ke-al) pertaining to or affecting one or more bronchi. bron·chi·al adj. Relating to the bronchi, the bronchial tubes, or the bronchioles. diseases. Patents have been granted to date in Australia and the U.S. Ohmeda is the exclusive licensee for the U.S. and Canada, and AGA is the exclusive licensee for Europe, Japan and other world markets. The current agreement expands upon previous ones involving preclinical data, Phase II data from Ohmeda and AGA granting BOC exclusive distribution rights in the U.K. and Australia. "AGA and Ohmeda entered into this new agreement to avoid unnecessary duplication of the preclinical and clinical activities required to introduce NO as an inhalation therapy for use in intensive care," according to Anders Rungaard, Senior Vice President of AGA. "This is obviously more cost-effective for both companies, given the substantial investments needed to bring NO to market." Future plans include joint investment in studies aimed at additional indications to broaden the use of NO inhalation therapy. Ohmeda is conducting double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in more than 75 major medical centers throughout the U.S. As studies for each indication are completed, results must be analyzed to determine if data support the safety, efficacy and clinical benefits of NO for that particular indication. These results will then be filed with health authorities for regulatory review. In preparation for the introduction of NO, both AGA and Ohmeda are enhancing their pharmaceutical and distribution capabilities and investing in dedicated manufacturing facilities to produce NO according to current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations for pharmaceuticals. "Because of the pharmaceutical competence within BOC's Ohmeda Pharmaceutical Products Division and AGA's strong international position for NO, the cooperation to develop this potentially life-saving therapeutic agent seemed highly logical," said Ohmeda President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Roger Stoll, Ph.D. Ohmeda is the health care business of The BOC Group, a $5.9 billion, UK-based company which is one of the world's leading suppliers of industrial and medical gases, and which also has substantial interests in vacuum technology and distribution services. Headquartered in Liberty Corner, NJ, Ohmeda specializes in anesthesia and critical care. Its pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and devices are used in operating rooms, post-anesthesia care units and neonatal and adult intensive care units worldwide. AGA, a $2 billion company based in Sweden, is one of the world's largest gas companies. The Group produces and supplies gases and services to industrial, medical and specialty gas markets in some 40 countries in Europe, the U.S. and Latin America. Pharma Market, which is a business area in AGA, has annual sales of $250 million, corresponding to 13% of the sales of the AGA Group. AGA's World Wide Web address: www.aga.se Ohmeda's World Wide Web address: http://www.ohmeda.com CONTACT: Ohmeda, Liberty Corner Judee Shuler, Director, Health Care Communications 908/771-4769 or Pharma Market, AGA Magnus Erkander, Vice President, 46-8-731-12-23 or AGA Anders Rungaard, Senior Vice President, 46-8-731-10-68 |
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