Sepsis Program
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to an infection. It progresses rapidly, and life-saving efforts can have negative impacts on long-term challenges like antimicrobial resistance. The risk of death from sepsis is as high as 30%, while for severe sepsis it is as high as 50%, and septic shock 80%. Sepsis affected about 49 million people in 2017, with 11 million deaths (1 in 5 deaths worldwide). In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared sepsis as a Global Health Priority.
Prof John Griffin of the Scripps Research Institute leads Novapep's sepsis development program. A 2024 Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis paper by John's group demonstrated that a single low dose of Biparetide increased the survival rate in mice from 31% to 53%.
Novapep and its partner the Florey Institute are undertaking rat and sheep model studies of sepsis with multiple intravenous doses of Biparetide at regular intervals, to simulate the clinical setting.
In the developed world, approximately 2 to 3 people per 1,000 are affected by sepsis yearly, resulting in about a million cases per year in the United States and rates of disease have been increasing. In the United States, Sepsis is the #1 cost of hospitalization with an estimated $62 billion annually spent on acute sepsis hospitalization and skilled nursing care.
If Biparetide proves to be effective, it will be a first in class treatment for sepsis with the potential for significant sales revenue.