Arbios Systems Announces Exclusive Supply Agreement With Membrana GmbH for Blood Filtration Membranes
September 20 2007 - 8:32AM
PR Newswire (US)
Division of Polypore International, Inc. to Provide Microporous
Hollow Fiber Membranes for SEPET(TM) Liver Dialysis WALTHAM, Mass.,
Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arbios Systems, Inc. (OTC:ABOS)
(BULLETIN BOARD: ABOS) , a company developing proprietary medical
devices and cell-based therapies for the millions of patients each
year who experience or are at risk for life-threatening episodes of
liver failure, today announced the signing of an exclusive supply
agreement with Membrana GmbH. Based in Wuppertal, Germany, Membrana
is the leading independent supplier worldwide of membranes and
microporous materials for medical and technical applications.
Membrana is a wholly owned subsidiary of Polypore International,
Inc., based in North Carolina, a global high technology filtration
company specializing in microporous membranes. The agreement
provides for future exclusive supply by Membrana, and exclusive
sourcing by Arbios, of membranes suitable for use in Arbios'
SEPET(TM) therapeutic blood filtration products for the treatment
of liver failure and sepsis. "We are pleased to enter into this
relationship with Arbios Systems as technology partner for its
selective blood filtration membranes requirements for the SEPET(TM)
product line," commented Josef Sauer, Ph.D., Vice President of
Polypore and General Manager of Membrana GmbH. "We are very
optimistic about the opportunity in the liver dialysis field and
believe that Arbios has excellent technology for that important
application." "Membrana's poly-ether sulfone (PES) microporous
membrane technology is currently utilized in FDA- approved blood
filtration cartridges for renal dialysis / hemofiltration
indications, and we believe that they have excellent PES technology
for our proprietary liver dialysis application," commented Shawn
Cain, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Arbios. "We
look forward to continuing to work with Membrana as we focus on
bringing the SEPET(TM) product to market for the treatment of liver
failure, and as we develop further generations of blood filtration
products indicated for sepsis and potentially other critical care
disorders." About the Supply Agreement The Membrana-Arbios Supply
Agreement has a term of up to six years following Arbios' first
commercial sale of the SEPET(TM) Liver Assist Device. The agreement
provides for pre-established per-unit pricing of Membrana PES
membranes, including progressive quantity discounts. The agreement
also provides that mutual exclusivity of the supply and purchase of
PES membranes by the parties, limited to defined liver and sepsis
therapy applications and types of membrane, shall become effective
at the time of first commercialization of SEPET(TM) and may extend
through the 5th year of SEPET(TM) commercialization, subject to
prior fulfillment of minimum purchase quantities by Arbios. About
Arbios' SEPET(TM) Liver Assist Device The SEPET(TM) Liver Assist
Device is a sterile, disposable cartridge containing microporous
hollow fibers with proprietary permeability characteristics. When a
patient's blood is passed through these fibers, blood plasma
components of specific molecular weights are expressed through the
micropores, thereby cleansing the blood of harmful impurities
(i.e., hepatic failure toxins as well as various mediators of
inflammation and inhibitors of liver regeneration). These
substances would otherwise progressively accumulate in the
patient's bloodstream during liver failure, causing hypotension,
increasing risk of sepsis development and accelerating damage to
the liver, lungs and other organs, including the brain and kidneys,
and suppressing the function and regeneration of the liver.
SEPET(TM) is designed for use with standard blood dialysis systems
available in hospital intensive care units. According to the
American Liver Foundation, chronic liver disease is the tenth
leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in
approximately $10 billion in annual healthcare costs. There is
currently no satisfactory therapy available to treat patients in
liver failure, other than maintenance and monitoring of vital
functions and keeping patients stable through provision of
intravenous fluids and blood products, administration of
antibiotics and support of vital functions, such as respiration.
About Membrana Membrana is the world's largest independent supplier
of microporous membranes for medical applications such as kidney
dialysis, blood oxygenation for cardiac surgery, and plasma
separation. Membrana is also a major supplier of membrane products
to the semiconductor, power, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and
photographic markets. For more information about Membrana, please
visit http://www.membrana.com/. About Arbios Systems Arbios
Systems, Inc. is developing proprietary medical devices and cell-
based therapies to enhance the survival of millions of patients
each year who experience, or are at risk for, life-threatening
episodes of liver failure. The Arbios product candidate portfolio
includes the SEPET(TM) Liver Assist Device, a novel blood
purification therapy that provides enhanced "liver dialysis," and
the HepatAssist(TM) Cell-Based Liver Support System, a
bioartificial liver that combines blood detoxification with liver
cell therapy to replace whole liver function in patients with the
most severe forms of liver failure. For more information on the
Company, please visit http://www.arbios.com/. This press release
contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ
materially from the events or results described in the
forward-looking statements, including risks or uncertainties
related to the goals and results of clinical trials, compliance
with regulatory requirements, labeling of the Company's products,
the need for subsequent substantial additional financing to
complete clinical development of its products, future markets and
demand for the Company's products, and Arbios' ability to
successfully market its products and technologies. These statements
represent the judgment of Arbios' management as of this date and
are subject to risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect
the Company. Arbios cautions investors that there can be no
assurance that actual results or business conditions will not
differ materially from those projected or suggested in such
forward-looking statements. Please refer to our Annual Report on
Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, and to our
subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for a description of
risks that may affect our results or business conditions. The
Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly release the
result of any revisions to such forward-looking statements that may
be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or
to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as
required by law. SEPET(TM) and HepatAssist(TM) are trademarks of
Arbios Systems, Inc. DATASOURCE: Arbios Systems CONTACT: Shawn
Cain, Interim President and CEO, +1-781-839-7292, Scott Hayashi,
CFO, +1-626-356-3105, both of Arbios Systems; Investor Relations,
Lisa Wilson, +1-212-759-3929, or Media Relations, Doug MacDougall
& Kari Watson, +1-508-647-0209, all for Arbios Systems Web
site: http://www.arbios.com/ http://www.membrana.com/
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