GenoMed offers its patented treatment to Chinese earthquake victims

May 14 2008

GenoMed has announced that it has offered its treatment to physicians caring for victims of the recent earthquake in China.

Currently, some 10,000 people are believed still trapped under collapsed buildings. Crush injury can cause acute kidney failure. Normally, dialysis is required until kidney function recovers days to weeks later. Some patients may require dialysis indefinitely. In an earthquake, electricity, clean water, and dialysis supplies are hard to come by.

GenoMed was awarded a US Patent (number 6,998,404) to use an existing drug to restore kidney function and avoid dialysis in the setting of acute kidney failure. The drug is infused intravenously. It may even work as an oral tablet. GenoMed is offering its treatment free of charge.

Dr. David Moskowitz, GenoMed's Chairman and CEO, said, "We believe our treatment will work in crush injury, just as it has worked for other causes of acute kidney failure. We have seen restoration of kidney function within hours in the hospital setting. This is significant, since acute kidney failure greatly increases the risk of dying, as well as the cost of hospitalization. If we can restore kidney function rapidly in earthquake victims, they will have a better survival rate, and will be less likely to require long-term dialysis."

Dr. Moskowitz continued, "Given that school-children are still trapped in the rubble, and at increasing risk for crush injury syndrome, it is reassuring to know that our treatment has already been used safely among the most vulnerable children: infants in a Neonatal ICU."