Two companies with products that reduce the amount of contrast dye in a patient’s system are raising money to increase sales and to support critical research. Contrast dye used in vascular and other imaging may cause such complications as acute kidney injury (AKI) in kidney-impaired patients.
Osprey Medical’s (Minnetonka, MN) DyeVert PLUS, which received FDA marketing clearance in March 2017, allows for a minimization of contrast dose, contrast monitoring in real-time, and notification to physicians when limits based on kidney function are reached. A special syringe allows release of minimal dye needed, with recapture of the unused portion.
Osprey plans to expand its U.S. sales team, with a focus on regions with higher rates of AKI, and to begin a pilot sales program in Germany.
Milford, Massachusetts-based RenalGuard also aims to attract funding for a trial of its contrast dye product, reports Fierce Biotech, a pharmaceutical industry blog. The company raised $14.5 million in March.
RenalGuard Therapy works by inducing higher rates of urine than are possible with standard diuretics. RenalGuard achieves these urine rates by monitoring and matching a saline infusion rate to the patient’s urine output milliliter-for-milliliter, minute-by-minute. The automated balancing reduces the risk of over- or under-hydration relative to standard infusion, the company reports. The device protects kidneys by increasing urine in order to flush out contrast dyes before they cause damage.
