Newswise — The untimely and unnecessary death of college student Chris Feden to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is bringing once more media attention to this potentially deadly disease. The bug infects ninety thousand Americans per year in our hospitals and was the cause of nineteen thousand reported deaths last year.
For those covering this news and stories on new approaches on eradicating MRSA, NovaBay Pharmaceuticals is making available Dr. Ron Najafi, CEO of NovaBay. Dr. Najafi believes the issue of MRSA is similar to a slow moving hurricane, gathering strength and resistance as it spreads. "Once the 'superbug' hits a community or hospital," asks Dr. Najafi, "are populations ready to deal with it?"
That is why Dr. Najafi believes a different approach is necessary in treating the rapidly increasing infectious microbes that have become resistant to our current slate of drugs. Dr. Najafi and the research team at NovaBay are currently working on a compound, NVC-422, which has shown promise combating numerous pathogens including MRSA.
NovaBay believes that the colonization of S. aureus takes place primarily in the nose and on the skin. The damp and dark qualities of nasal tissue create an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria to grow and spread. AgaNaseâ„¢, NovaBay's formulation of NVC-422 for nasal applications, is unique in that it is an anti-infective, though not a conventional antibiotic.
Topically applied to the lower nasal passage to eliminate colonization of S. aureus, including MRSA, AgaNase rapidly destroys a range of pathogens that include bacteria, yeast, and viruses. Because AgaNase is a chlorine-based analog of molecules produced by white blood cells, it is believed that bacteria and viruses are unlikely to develop resistance to this treatment.
Biography on Expert
Dr. Ron Najafi is the founder and Chairman of NovaBay. He has served as President since July 2002, and as Chief Executive Officer since November 2004. Previously, Dr. Najafi served in various management positions within NovaBay including as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Najafi received a B.S. and M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California at Davis.
Prior to founding NovaBay, Dr. Najafi was the President and CEO of California Pacific Labs, Inc., a chemical laboratory safety devices company. He has also held scientific roles at Rhone Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi-Aventis), Applied Biosystems, a division of PerkinElmer, Inc., and Aldrich Chemical.
Dr. Najafi serves as an expert resource on the following:"¢ Bacterial resistance to antibiotics"¢ Surgical Site Infections"¢ MRSA"¢ Anti-Infective Compounds
Dr. Najafi can address the following FAQs:
"¢ What is MRSA & how does MRSA attack the body?"¢ Why is MRSA so widespread in hospitals?"¢ How has MRSA become drug resistant?"¢ Why aren't conventional methods working to stop MRSA?"¢ What new techniques are needed against MRSA?
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative product candidates for the treatment or prevention of a wide range of infections in hospital and non-hospital environments. NovaBay has discovered and is developing a class of non-antibiotic anti-infective compounds, which it has named Aganocides, based upon small molecules generated by white blood cells that defend the body against invading pathogens. NovaBay believes that the Aganocide compounds could form a platform on which to create a variety of products to address different needs in the prevention and treatment of bacterial, fungal and viral infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). NovaBay has entered into a licensing and research collaboration agreement with an affiliate of Alcon, Inc. for use of the Aganocide compounds in eye, ear and sinus infections and in contact lens solutions. In addition to its Aganocide compounds, NovaBay is developing NVC-101, which it refers to as NeutroPhaseâ„¢, and has entered into a license agreement with an affiliate of Kinetic Concepts, Inc. for the use of NeutroPhase in wound care applications.
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