Ondine Biomedical Inc - Steriwave in all British Columbia Health Authorities

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 23, 2024 / Ondine Biomedical Inc. (LON:OBI), a leading provider of light-activated antimicrobial technology to prevent and treat hospital infections, is pleased to announce that Steriwave® nasal decolonization is now being used in all five of British Columbia's health authorities. This deployment signals Ondine's increasingly strong presence across the Canadian healthcare system.

As of 21 August 2024, the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) in Prince George, a major hub for specialized surgical care in Northern BC, has begun using Steriwave to treat patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasties. With this deployment at UHNBC, Steriwave is now operational in all five of British Columbia's health authorities: Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health, Vancouver Island Health, Interior Health, and Northern Health.

Carolyn Cross, CEO of Ondine Biomedical, commented:

"Our mission is to bring our non-resistance-forming photodisinfection technology into hospitals to safeguard patients and healthcare workers from the growing threat of multidrug resistance and other emerging health challenges. Steriwave, a simple five-minute treatment that removes nasal pathogens-the source of many hospital-acquired infections-plays a crucial role in this effort. The adoption of Steriwave by the largest hospital in northern British Columbia is a significant achievement for Ondine. We are proud to be working with all of BC's health authorities to avoid infections and their associated human and financial costs."

Canadian hospitals using Steriwave have reported reduced surgical site infections, decreased antibiotic use, shorter hospital stays, lower mortality rates, fewer respiratory infections, significant cost savings, with high levels of compliance and patient and clinician satisfaction.

Steriwave nasal photodisinfection is a non-invasive, light-activated antimicrobial treatment that has been clinically proven to reduce pathogens in the nasal passages, thereby lowering the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Steriwave's rapid action prevents pathogens from developing resistance, offering an effective alternative to antibiotics. A 2023 study showed that Steriwave is highly effective (>99.99% kills in 20 seconds) against both moderately drug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens.

Enquiries:

About Ondine Biomedical Inc.
Ondine Biomedical Inc. is a clinical Canadian life sciences company and leader in light-activated antimicrobial therapies (also known as 'photodisinfection'). Ondine has a pipeline of investigational products, based on its proprietary photodisinfection technology, in various stages of development.

Ondine's nasal photodisinfection system has a CE mark in Europe and the UK and is approved in Canada and several other countries under the name Steriwave^®. In the US, it has been granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation and Fast Track status by the FDA and is currently undergoing clinical trials for regulatory approval. Products beyond nasal photodisinfection include therapies for a variety of medical indications such as chronic sinusitis, ventilator-associated pneumonia, burns and other indications.

About Steriwave^®
Ondine's Steriwave nasal photodisinfection system is a patented technology using a proprietary light-activated antimicrobial (photosensitizer) to destroy bacteria, viruses, and fungi colonizing the nose. The photodisinfection treatment is carried out by a trained healthcare professional and is an easy-to-use, painless, two-step process. The photosensitizer is applied to each nostril using a nasal swab, followed by illumination of the area with a specific wavelength of red laser light for less than five minutes. The light activates the photosensitizer, causing an oxidative burst that is lethal to all types of pathogens without causing long-term adverse effects on the nasal microbiome. A key benefit of this approach-unlike with antibiotics, which have resistance rates reported as high as 81%^[1]-is that pathogens do not develop resistance to the therapy.

Nasal decolonization is recommended in the 2016 WHO Global guidelines for the prevention of surgical site infections,^[2] and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) guidelines, published in May 2023, recommend nasal decolonization for major surgical procedures.^[3]

^[1] Poovelikunnel T, Gethin G, Humphreys H. Mupirocin resistance: clinical implications and potential alternatives for the eradication of MRSA. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2015;70(10):2681-2692. (link)

^[2] Surgical Site Infection Prevention: Key facts on decolonization of nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus. World Health Organization. (link)

^[3] Calderwood MS, Anderson DJ, Bratzler DW, et al. Strategies to prevent surgical site infections in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2023;44(5):695-720. (link)

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SOURCE: Ondine Biomedical Inc