Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vital
Therapies Announces Presentation of ELAD® “Artificial
Liver” Data at American Association for the Study of Liver
Diseases 2007 Annual Meeting
Boston,
MA., Nov. 7, 2007 /PRNewswire/- /- Vital
Therapies, Inc. (VTI), announced today data from two
studies of the company’s ELAD® (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.
• Abstract (#91), “Interim results of Randomized Controlled
Trial of ELAD® in Acute on Chronic Liver Disease,” was
presented in a parallel session on Monday, November 5th.
This controlled, randomized (2:1) clinical trial enrolled
69 patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure in two
protocols at two centers in Beijing, China. The first 49
patient protocol resulted in a 30 day transplant-free
survival rate of 50% in the controls and 87% in the treated
group (p<0.01). The second protocol, which had a shorter
ELAD® treatment time, did not reach statistical
significance. Initial conclusions from this trial
demonstrated ELAD® is safe and effective in this patient
population when used with the longer treatment time.
• Abstract (#855), “ELAD® Cellular and System Performance
Improvements,” was a poster presentation detailing the
metabolic characteristics of the ELAD® cartridges in order
to optimize performance.
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®. In China alone, an estimated 160 million people
suffer from chronic liver infections such as Hepatitis B
and C.
About ELAD® (Extracorporeal Liver Assist
Device)
The ELAD® 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 a normal
human liver. 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®
performance is a proprietary human hepatocyte cell line
that can be grown, stored and shipped worldwide.
About Vital Therapies. Inc.
Vital Therapies, Inc. (VTI) 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.
CONTACTS:
Jan Barker
VP Marketing of Vital Therapies, Inc.
1-415-710-0288 Cell
MEDIA:
Kevin Knight
1-972-385-9384 Office
1-214-732-9392 Cell
