Canadian photodisinfection therapy goes to China

VANCOUVER – Photodisinfection will soon be a vital part of the Chinese medical system, thanks to Vancouver-based Ondine Biomedical. In use across Canada, Ondine’s technology provides rapid antimicrobial efficacy to prevent and eliminate infections without encouraging the formation and spread of antibiotic resistance. Ondine is a global leader in the development of photodisinfection-based therapies.

With Mr. Zhang Yanming (left), director of a new Free Trade Zone in Henan Province of China in attendance, Carolyn Cross (centre), chair of the board and CEO of Ondine Biomedical, recently signed a joint venture agreement with Mr. Yanan Zhao (far right) to bring photodisinfection to the Chinese market.

This joint venture will initiate with two non-antibiotic technologies, Periowave (for treatment of oral infections) and MRSAid (for the prevention of Surgical Site Infections, a leading cause of hospital acquired infections).

Ondine’s photodisinfection therapy for hospitals debuted in the Pre-Surgical Decolonization Project in Vancouver General Hospital, one of Canada’s largest acute care hospitals. The therapy received the 2013 Innovation Award of Excellence from the International Consortium for Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC) in Geneva.

The Pre-Surgical Decolonization Project, which reduced infection rates by 39 percent, was a 12-month non-antibiotic pilot program involving more than 5,000 patients who were treated with MRSAid photodisinfection therapy prior to a major surgery.

Since implementing MRSAid nasal decolonization to pre- surgical patients, VGH now enjoys one of the lowest surgical site infection rates in Canada.

“Antibiotic resistance has been declared to be a global threat to humanity by key organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK,” said Carolyn Cross. “We believe that it is imperative that we collaborate on a global scale to ensure that important new therapies and protocols be shared in order to preserve our existing stock of antibiotics. We are pleased to bring our technology to China and are looking forward to working with our Chinese partners to see our life saving photodisinfection technology in Chinese healthcare facilities to prevent hospital acquired infections and to eliminate the unnecessary use of antibiotics.”

For more information please visit www.ondinebio.com.