Sepsis is recognized as a global health problem and is the leading cause of non-cardiac death in U.S. hospitals. Septic shock is the most severe form of sepsis and the most difficult to treat. There is also a subset of patients with a particularly malignant form of septic shock called endotoxic septic shock (ESS). Endotoxin is a bacterial toxin and, until recently, there has been no way to test for it in the blood. Spectral Medical, Inc. is conducting a Phase III clinical trial for its lead product, PMX (Toraymyxin™ PMX-20R), for the treatment of patients with septic shock due to high levels of endotoxin. The TIGRIS trial is a randomized, controlled study of use of the PMX cartridge versus the standard of care for patients with endotoxic septic shock. By combining this therapy with a targeted diagnostic test, this future therapy is poised to vastly improve survival for this deadly condition.
