US study assesses safety of artificial liver:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
VitaGen has begun a US clinical trial to evaluate the safety of its artificial liver. The extracorporeal liver assist device (ELAD) is designed to provide temporary hepatic replacement therapy for patients with fulminant hepatic failure until their own liver can regenerate itself or until a donor organ becomes available for transplant. During the study, patients with fulminant hepatic failure caused by drug, chemical, poison or viral causes and with no previous evidence of chronic liver disease will be treated with the ELAD artificial liver for up to 10 days, said La Jolla, California-based VitaGen.