Cytosorbents (CTSO) Secures $1.5M Sequential Phase II SBIR Contract to AdvanceTreatment of Severe Hyperkalemia in Traumatic Injury

CytoSorbents Corporation (NASDAQ: CTSO), a critical care leader commercializing its CytoSorb® and other blood purification technologies to treat deadly conditions in critically-ill and cardiac surgery patients around the world, announced the U.S Army Medical Research and Development Command has awarded CytoSorbents a Defense Health Agency (DHA) Sequential Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, valued at $1,499,987 over 28 months, to advance development of the K+ontrol™ platform for the treatment of severe hyperkalemia induced by traumatic injury and acute kidney injury in austere medicine. This follows the successful completion of the previously announced Phase I and Phase II SBIR programs for this application, totaling approximately $1.15 million in previous contract funding.

Dr. Phillip Chan, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of CytoSorbents stated, "We greatly appreciate the continued support of the Defense Health Agency and U.S. Army of our innovative sorbent treatments for life-threatening hyperkalemia in severe trauma patients. Together with our collaborators, we have made excellent progress in developing potassium-lowering therapies that can be implemented by a medic without electricity, and have the potential to save lives in many scenarios where standard dialysis is not possible. We look forward to advancing these technologies to clinical usage to help our wounded warfighters and other mass casualty trauma victims."

Trauma and crush injury to soft tissue can lead to rapid cell death and the release of a flood of intracellular potassium into the bloodstream. In compromised patients, very high levels of potassium in the blood, or severe hyperkalemia, can lead to dangerously irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. This is particularly common in combat casualties, everyday civilian trauma, and mass casualty events such as earthquakes and terrorist bombings. Normally, hemodialysis is the definitive therapy to treat hyperkalemia. However, in remote locations, during prolonged field care in combat, in areas that lack modern medical facilities, or in situations where the numbers of victims outstrip available dialysis equipment and supplies, there is a major need for simple, but effective ways to rapidly treat severe hyperkalemia.

This Defense Health Agency Sequential Phase II SBIR contract is administered by the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), and supporting acquisition office, the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) under Contract No. W81XWH21C0045. The views, opinion and/or findings contained in this press release are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy or decision unless so designated by other documentation. In conducting research using animals, the investigator(s) adhered to the Animal Welfare Act Regulations and other Federal statutes relating to animals and experiments involving animals and the principles set forth in the current version of the Guide of Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, National Research Council.

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