ExThera Medical to Start Clinical Trials of Seraph

Berkeley, Calif.-based ExThera Medical will begin clinical trials in Germany of its Seraph device to treat dialysis patients with Staphylococcus aureus and drug-resistant MRSA bloodstream infections.

Initially the device will be used in early treatment of bloodstream infections to prevent severe sepsis and reduce or eliminate ICU stays. S. aureus and drug-resistant MRSA are the most common causes of infection in patients undergoing dialysis for kidney failure, and bloodstream infections are the second-most common cause of death in end-stage renal disease patients.

The study is currently awaiting enrollment of its first patient. Future studies will concentrate on patients whose bloodstream infections have already progressed in severe sepsis or septic shock. — Michael Cipriano