000820 Experimental E. Coli Drug Sent to MilwaukeeAugust 6, 2000New York - Following the recent outbreak of Escherichia coli (E. coli) infections in Milwaukee, the US Food and Drug Administration has given Synsorb Biotech authorization to provide emergency doses of Synsorb Pk, an experimental E. coli treatment, to the city's Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. There have been 42 confirmed cases of E. coli infections related to a Sizzler restaurant in the Wisconsin city, 24 of whom are children between the ages of 1 and 15 years. The drug will be used to treat infected children under the care of Dr. Kelly Hendrickson, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. According to the Calgary-based company, Synsorb Pk, currently under phase III investigation, can reduce the progression to hemolytic uremic syndrome in E. coli-infected children by 59%, when administered within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. In a statement Thursday, Synsorb said it has already shipped five treatments to the hospital, and will send additional supplies upon request.
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