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 Distributive shock is a state in which the heart is pumping well
enough, but the blood is not distributed properly to the vital
organs, leading to severe hypotention.
The drug, LJPC-501, is La Jolla's formulation of a natural peptide
that regulates blood pressure. It induced a statistically
significant improvement in raising blood pressure, compared to a
placebo, in the 344-patient study, the company said.
La Jolla's stock jumped 51 percent to $29.99 in low volumes in
premarket trading.
Distributive shock has various triggers, such as trauma and severe
allergies. The most common, though, is sepsis, in which the immune
system goes into overdrive to fight an infection or bacterial
toxins.
About 500,000 patients in the United States go into distributive
shock each year, and close to 200,000 do not derive enough benefit
from decades-old treatments, including catecholamines such as
epinephrine as well as vasopressin.
Each patient costs the healthcare system $100,000 on average, and
about half of all patients die within thirty days, La Jolla Chief
Executive George Tidmarsh said.
The company said the study data also showed a trend towards longer
survival in patients treated with LJPC-501.
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Overall, 22 percent of placebo-treated patients and 14 percent of
LJPC-501-treated patients discontinued treatment, La Jolla said.
The San Diego, California-based company said it plans to submit a
U.S. marketing application for the drug in the second half of this
year.
If approved, La Jolla could also explore the use of LJPC-501 as an
initial therapy for distributive shock, Tidmarsh told Reuters.
(Reporting by Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
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