Limitations of Currently Available Treatments for Acute Forms of Liver Failure

Limitations of Currently Available Treatments
for Acute Forms of Liver Failure

Given the liver’s complexity, there are no simple or widely effective medical solutions for acute forms of liver failure. The only long-term cure for acute forms of liver failure is surgical transplantation. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, 8,082 liver transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2017. Approximately 14,000 patients are currently on the transplant waiting list in the U.S. and approximately 1,200 patients die each year while waiting. In Europe, approximately 7,000 liver transplants are performed each year. The average billable charge for a liver transplant in 2017 was $812,500.⁹  

ELAD has been shown to effective in the treatment of Hepatitis B flares, based on VTL’s 2006-07 clinical study, and has been used to treat 348 patients and 279 are control patients (total 627 patients) establishing a baseline safety profile. SD ELAD Biotechnology plans to further pursue the development of ELAD, first focusing on China. The company will be working closely with the CFDA to determine the next steps to provide ELAD to the numerous patients suffering from liver disease in China.