Clinical study initiated for paracetamol poisoning treatment

PledPharma, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, has announced the initiation of a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a new treatment for reducing liver damage from paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning, Aladote, in combination with the current standard treatment.

The clinical study has begun at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and will be run by PledPharma under the direction of Dr James Dear, Reader in Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, specialist in paracetamol poisoning. In preclinical animal studies, it was suggested that Aladote may be effective in reducing liver damage in the period more than 8 hours after paracetamol overdose.

“During the first 24 hours after paracetamol poisoning people usually experience few or no symptoms. Therefore, many patients come to hospital at such a late stage that the current standard of treatment is not sufficient to prevent acute liver failure,” Dear explained. “Calmangafodipir has in preclinical studies demonstrated impressive results even in the late stages of the poisoning process, and I look forward to the results of this important proof-of-principle study.”