Flowonix Medical of New Jersey and Colorado-based Cerebral Therapeutics announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement to develop a unique implanted drug delivery system which provides direct infusion of a therapeutic drug into targeted areas of the brain for treatment of neurological diseases.
By delivering microdoses of medication directly to the brain, this system will be able to bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver the medication to a specific targeted region.
"Neurological disorders can be devastating to patients and their families, and patients are often left with few options," stated Steven Adler, President and CEO of Flowonix Medical Inc.
"Flowonix has long been a world leader in implantable infusion systems and we have specific expertise in the accurate and reliable delivery of microdoses of medication. We are pleased to partner with Cerebral Therapeutics to bring this safe, effective, and successful drug delivery technology to one of the most challenging frontiers in medicine — the brain."
"The combination of small-molecule therapy with established infusion pump delivery could be a treatment alternative with profoundly positive ramifications," stated Dr. Ashwini Sharan, Neurosurgical and Neurological Professor at Jefferson University, and President-Elect for the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS).
"Cerebral Therapeutics chose to work with Flowonix because the Prometra® and Prometra® II infusion pumps offer a patented valve-gated drug delivery system which allows for very precise dosing of medicine," stated Dr. Dan Abrams, CEO of Cerebral Therapeutics.
The new agreement will allow Cerebral Therapeutics, LLC and Flowonix Medical Inc. to develop drug-pump combination products aimed at addressing unmet needs in neurological therapies.
"Clinical trials will be needed to ascertain how targeted delivery of drugs directly to the brain may benefit neurological patients," continued Dr. Dan Abrams. "Experience with intraspinal drug therapy demonstrates the many advantages of controlled and targeted drug therapy. We look forward to working with Flowonix because of their state of the art technology, commitment to developing new therapies, and leadership in infusion pump devices."