Arbios, NxStage collaborate on liver device
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Dialysis machine maker NxStage Medical will be exclusive manufacturer of Waltham, Mass.-based Arbios Systems' Sepet liver assist device, the firms announce Oct. 23. Arbios is seeking FDA permission to begin a controlled pivotal trial in patients with acute liver failure. Sepet is a sterile, disposable cartridge containing microporous hollow fibers designed for use with standard blood dialysis systems. The fibers cleanse a patient's blood of harmful impurities as it passes through. Other firms developing artificial liver technology include Vital Therapies, which anticipates U.S. market approval of its ELAD device by 2010 (1"The Gray Sheet" Sept. 17, 2007, p. 16)