Synsorb PK gains US fast-track designation

Synsorb Biotech of Canada says that it has received fast-track productdesignation from the US Food and Drug Administration for its lead product Synsorb PK as a therapy for enteric hemorrhagic Escherichia coli 0157.

Synsorb PK, which is in Phase III development for EHEC and the prevention of hemolytic uremic syndrome, presents a synthetic oligosaccharide on its surface which imitates the carbohydrate receptors that the toxins bind to on human red blood cells and kidney cells. It is designed to effectively neutralize the toxin which is then excreted from the body unabsorbed.