US-based immunotherapy company CytoSorbents has entered into a multi-country strategic partnership with Fresenius Medical Care to commercialize CytoSorbents' CytoSorb therapy.
As part of the deal, Fresenius will have exclusive rights to distribute CytoSorb for critical care applications in France, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland.
The deal will allow Fresenius to provide a new and easy to use blood purification therapy for removing cytokines in patients that are treated in the intensive care unit.
Fresenius Medical Care vice-president International Marketing & Medicine Christian Schlaeper said: "We believe CytoSorb has the potential to transform acute care medicine by providing physicians with an innovative new treatment to manage the harmful inflammatory response associated with sepsis and other life-threatening illnesses."
CytoSorbents president and chief executive officer Dr Phillip Chan said: "Along with our existing valued distribution and strategic partners, the total number of countries where CytoSorb is being marketed increases to 28 worldwide, and is growing.
"We believe there are many powerful business and competitive synergies on both sides that can be unlocked through this mutual collaboration and we are thrilled with the prospects."
In order to promote CytoSorb, Fresenius will also engage in the ongoing clinical development which includes the support and publication of a number of small case series and patient case reports as well as the potential for future larger, clinical collaborations.
The multi-year deal is subject to annual minimum guaranteed orders of CytoSorb to maintain exclusivity.
In the EU, CytoSorb is approved as a safe and effective extracorporeal cytokine adsorber to reduce the excessive production of inflammatory mediators called cytokines, or cytokine storm.