Sensile Medical and scPharmaceuticals ink pact to develop heart failure treatment

The drug-device combination uses the Sensile SenseCore technology in a wearable minipump that delivers the pharmaceutical drug product under the skin using a very small needle.  The pharmaceutical product is a proprietary reformulation of a proven diuretic that already forms the cornerstone of heart failure therapy. Diuretics remove excess fluid retained by the body by increasing urinary output. The diuretic that will be used with the minipump is a novel formulation of the diuretic furosemide, which has been in clinical use for nearly 50 years.

Under the product development agreement, Sensile and scPharmaceuticals will collaborate to develop and manufacture minipump devices for use by scPharmaceuticals for its furosemide drug product for subcutaneous administration.  scPharmaceuticals expects to submit its New Drug Application for the furosemide drug device combination no later than Q1 of 2015. 

Dr.  Bertram Pitt, Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Michigan  School of Medicine and one of the co-founders of scPharmaceuticals says: "This innovative product is expected to provide rapid and more effective diuretic therapy that can be used at home under physician guidance when the patient experiences symptoms of decompensation.  We expect that this innovative approach will in many cases avert the need for emergency or in-hospital care, and for those patients who still require hospitalization, their hospital stay will be shortened and their outcomes improved."

Derek Brandt, Chief Executive Officer of Sensile Medical AG, Hagendorf, Switzerland adds: "our product illustrates the importance of drug delivery technology to create novel, more cost-effective therapies aimed to save the healthcare system money and improve patient outcomes."

Sensile Medical AG is a leading company in the area of micro-pumps and patch-pumps. Founded in 2004, Sensile Medical is located in Hagendorf, Switzerland.