Cardium Therapeutics was recently awarded a patent in Europe and the U.S. for the rights to cardiovascular gene therapy in the treatment of heart disease. It was a decision long sought after by the health sciences and regenerative medicine company, as well as its top competitors.

Generx, Cardium’s most recent development, is a gene therapy treatment developed to stimulate the growth of blood vessels in the heart- a potential treatment for patients with advanced coronary artery disease. The company describes it simply as a “disease-modifying regenerative medicine therapeutic that can elicit structural and physiologic changes in the heart…following a one-time intracoronary administration.”

About 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year, and while progress has been made in the treatment of patients who recognize the early warning signs, it still remains a leading cause of death among both men and women.

Costly and invasive treatments such as coronary angioplasty and cardiac bypass surgery are among the most common surgeries performed in the U.S., though they’re limited by their ability to only address the larger accessible blood vessels.

Cardium’s Generx is a non-surgical treatment administered using a cardiac infusion catheter that can stimulate natural blood vessel growth in areas that traditional surgery cannot reach. As the treatment heads into yet another round of clinical studies, the biotech company remains confident in the safety and effectiveness of its brand.

Cardium hopes to market Generx in newly industrialized countries, such as India, as an alternative front-line treatment for those without access to, or without resources to pay for, the more advanced surgical procedures.

For more information on Cardium Therapeutics, visit www.cardiumthx.com

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