Elutia Inc. announced that its Antibiotic-Eluting BioEnvelope, EluPro® (referred to as CanGaroo®RM during development), has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically designed to prevent post-operative complications for devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, EluPro incorporates powerful antibiotic therapy combined with advanced tissue engineering to create a BioEnvelope that over time regenerates into a protective pocket of the patient's own tissue. Infection, migration, and skin erosion are some of the most frequently encountered complications of pacemaker surgery, occurring in up to 5% to 7% of cases.

These cause significant patient morbidity and mortality, increase the length of hospitalization, and can add more than $50,000 to healthcare costs per event. In development since 2019 and protected by intellectual property extending beyond 2032, EluPro is the only biologic offering in the $600 millionU.S. implantable electronic device protection market. The Company also announced that EluPro was granted clearance for indications beyond the cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including neurostimulators and neuromodulators used for pain management, epilepsy, incontinence, and sleep apnea.

These additional markets, estimated to be $8 billion worldwide, have not previously been served by a drug-eluting biomatrix and present significant additional growth opportunities for EluPro. The EluPro BioEnvelope is constructed from reinforced layers of natural extracellular tissue matrix and designed to create a conforming envelope with optimal stability for implantable electronic devices. The walls of EluPro are embedded with powerful antibiotics rifampin and minocycline, engineered for extended delivery directly into the surgical site long after closure.

This unique combination of drug and biomatrix supports the regeneration of a healthy, vascularized pocket from the patient's own tissue, mitigating a long-term foreign body response. EluPro represents a significant opportunity in the $600 million U.S. implantable electronic device protection market, previously served by a single competitor. With over 600,000 devices implanted in the U.S. annually, EluPro addresses significant complications arising from these procedures.

Elutia plans to launch EluPro into the CIED market nationwide in the second half of 2024 and is prioritizing adjacent markets in the neurostimulation and modulation space, where implantable medical devices result in high rates of addressable complications.