Citius Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXR) is pursuing a new standard of care thanks to the growing markets and demand for advanced cancer drugs. The company is currently working on three proprietary product candidates; Mino-Lok®, CITI-002, and CITI-101 (Mino-Wrap). Its commitment is to develop low cost but effective therapies, which can meet the needs not being met by the current standard of care.
Citius works with the MD Anderson Cancer Center (“MDACC”) through a global license agreement. The company says it has expanded the intellectual property associated with MDACC and particularly for Mino-Wrap to accomplish its pledge. The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System received intellectual property expansion, which is expected to boost Mino-Wrap’s design and use.
Mino-Wrap has the Potential to Resolve Infections Associated with Tissue Expander (“TE”)
Cases of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction have continued to increase, and so is the need for breast cancer treatment. As a result of mastectomies, the approximation is that more than 100,000 patients in the U.S. undergo breast reconstruction procedures. The result is an increase in the rate of infection for TEs used in breast reconstructive surgery.
The infection rates are between 2.5 % and 24%. Citius Pharmaceuticals’ CEO Myron Holubiak says this data is of concern. However, there is some hope of resolving the situation, thanks to Mino-Wrap. The company says it has the potential of reducing incidences of infection; hence the patient will not require prolonged hospitalization or extended use of antibiotics to save the TEs. The Mino-Wrap is believed to contain antibiotics, minocycline, and rifampin, which decrease bacterial bioburden.
The use of Tissue Expanders; what it involves
Tissue expansion is simply a breast reconstruction technique, a common activity in women for many years. It involves expanding a person’s breast skin and muscle, whereby an empty breast implant is filled with normal saline for six to eight weeks to accomplish the desired breast size. This comes with surgery to make a pocket for the tissue expander. The TE’s removal comes after four to eight weeks with a second surgery to insert the permanent breast implant.
