7 August 2023

ONDINE BIOMEDICAL INC.

("Ondine Biomedical", "Ondine" or the "Company")

Ondine technology used in major Canadian hospital

Kelowna General Hospital is using Ondine's photodisinfection technology to reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery

·    One in every 190 Canadians will get an HAI in their lifetime, with a 4% fatality rate.^[i]

·    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been reported as high as 81% in Canada.^[ii]

·    One in 19 deaths in Canada are attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Canadian life sciences company Ondine Biomedical (LON: OBI) has partnered with Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) on a pilot program to prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). During the pilot, all orthopedic patients at KGH will be treated with Ondine's Steriwave® nasal photodisinfection therapy prior to surgery.

Ondine's revolutionary Steriwave photodisinfection treatment kills all types of pathogens - viruses, bacteria, and fungi - without causing resistance and is already in use at a number of hospitals across Canada, including Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and The Ottawa Hospital. In these hospital settings, pre-surgical use of Steriwave has resulted in significant improvement in post-surgical outcomes including lower rates of infection, reduced patient length of stay, fewer readmissions, and lower rates of antibiotic prescribing.^{[iii],[iv],[v]} Recent research conducted at VGH found the SSI mortality rate was cut by 59% among patients who received Steriwave nasal photodisinfection before surgery compared to those who did not.^[vi] 

HAIs are a serious problem in hospitals across Canada, with one in every 195 Canadians now expected to contract an HAI in their lifetime.^[vii] HAIs are also becoming harder to treat due to rising rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which are making commonly used antibiotics increasingly ineffective. Resistance rates for mupirocin, an antibiotic commonly used to prevent HAIs, have been reported as high as 81%.^[viii] It is estimated that 1 in 19 deaths in Canada are now attributable to antibiotic-resistant infections.^[ix]

HAIs also place additional strain on the healthcare system, as patients with an HAI can spend 30 days longer in hospital, significantly increasing costs and lengthening their recovery.^[x] The cost of AMR to the Canadian healthcare sector is projected to increase from $1.4 billion to $7.6 billion per year by 2050.^[xi]

Ondine Biomedical's CEO, Carolyn Cross, commented:

"We believe that every patient deserves the best protection against HAIs. By wiping out the pathogens in the nose, which is a major reservoir for these potentially fatal pathogens, our photodisinfection treatment can reduce HAIs following major surgeries by up to 80%. We are delighted to be working with the orthopedic team at Kelowna General Hospital, to assist their ongoing efforts to combat these dangerous infections and continue to improve patient outcomes."

About Ondine Biomedical Inc.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. is a Canadian headquartered company innovating in the field of photodisinfection therapies. Ondine has a pipeline of investigational products, based on its proprietary photodisinfection platform, in various stages of development. Products beyond nasal photodisinfection include therapies for a variety of medical indications such as chronic sinusitis, ventilator-associated pneumonia, burns, and other indications.  

About Nasal Photodisinfection

Ondine's nasal photodisinfection is a patented technology using a proprietary photosensitizer (non-antibiotic, light-activated agent) to destroy pathogens. The photodisinfection treatment is carried out by a trained healthcare professional, and is an easy to use, painless, two-step process. The photosensitizer is applied to each nostril using a nasal swab, followed by illumination of the area with a specific wavelength of laser light for less than five minutes. The light activates the photosensitizer, causing an oxidative burst that is lethal to all types of pathogens.[xii] A key benefit of this approach, unlike with antibiotics, is that pathogens do not develop resistance to the therapy.

Nasal decolonization with antibiotics is already standard practice in many hospitals prior to surgery, as pathogens in a patient's nasal cavities are a major cause of surgical site infections (SSIs). However, there is a growing need to reduce antibiotic use and find non-antibiotic methods of nasal decolonization as resistance rates have been reported as high as 81%.[xiii]

Ondine's nasal photodisinfection system has a CE mark in Europe and the UK and is approved in Canada and several other countries under the name Steriwave®. It has been used in Canada for over ten years, with no serious adverse events reported. In the US, it is currently undergoing clinical trials for regulatory approval.

About Kelowna General Hospital

Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) is a public hospital located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest hospital in the Interior Health Authority, and provides tertiary care to residents of the Central Okanagan.