On February 14, local time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it approved the Aurlumyn injection developed by Eicos Sciences for severe frostbite to reduce the risk of finger or toe amputation. According to the FDA, Aurlumyn is the first approved drug for severe frostbite.
This approval provides a new option for people with severe frostbite and is an important step forward in the field of frostbite**. On February 20, Ding Sheng, founding dean of the School of Pharmacy of Tsinghua University and director of the Global Health Drug R&D Center, told the people's ** health client reporter that Aurlumyn is not a new drug, but a "new use of old drugs", which was approved for pulmonary hypertension in 2004, and the latest approval is based on the new use of the drug's new injection preparation.
According to the FDA, frostbite is a local or systemic injury to the human body caused by the effects of cold and dampness, and frostbite can be divided into several stages, from mild frostbite, which does not require medical intervention and does not cause permanent damage, to severe frostbite, where the underlying tissues freeze and blood flow stops, and sometimes requires amputation.
On February 20, Pang Xiaowen, chief physician of the ** Department of the Air Force Characteristic Medical Center, told the People's ** Health Client reporter that frostbite is usually divided into four grades, and the so-called "severe frostbite" refers to fourth-degree frostbite, that is, it may freeze to muscles, bones, and even necrosis of limbs, and there may be generalized frostbite, and severe cases may face the risk of amputation.
Severe frostbite is not a very common problem in our country, but for such patients, once severe frostbite occurs, it often faces devastating consequences. Pang Xiaowen said that severe frostbite is prone to occur in areas with frequent extreme cold weather, such as Northern Europe, Siberia and other places. In addition, people working in special operations may also be at risk of severe frostbite.
Ding Sheng pointed out that the approval of Aurlumyn will bring new methods to patients, but it is still necessary to pay attention to effective measures to prevent frostbite. Due to various reasons such as demand factors, there is less drug research and development focusing on the field of severe frostbite, and the approval of Aurlumyn can be said to be an important progress, but this field still needs further research and attention.
Regarding the listing of the above drugs, Eicos Sciences issued a statement saying that Aurlumyn is expected to be launched in the spring of 2024, although the current sales ** have not yet been determined.