Dr. Mikhail Rusak presented the results of the multicenter LASSO NEO study (NCT05707494) on the use of extracorporeal blood purification technology in children with sepsis at the 38th Annual Congress of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

For the first time, the clinical effectiveness of the new hemoadsorption device Efferon NEO was evaluated. The device is tailored for the removal of endotoxin and cytokines and designed for the most fragile patients – children with sepsis.

Ivan Bessonov, Co-founder of Efferon: Since the effectiveness of Efferon LPS was demonstrated in adult patients with sepsis, it became clear that denying children access to such life-saving therapies would simply be unethical. That is why we focused our efforts on closing this gap. Now we can share results: we succeeded. Our deepest gratitude goes to the team of researchers who made this possible.

The study included 78 patients aged from 1 month to 14 years (32 Efferon NEO + 46 control) who were enrolled across 8 study centers.

Key results:

● The primary endpoint was achieved. The multiple organ failure score (pSOFA) was significantly lower in patients who received hemoadsorption: 4.9 vs. 7.8 in the control group (p = 0.006) on day 7,

● Patients in the hemoadsorption group were weaned off mechanical ventilation (p = 0.003) and vasopressor support (p = 0.001) faster,

● Patients treated with hemoadsorption using Efferon NEO showed a significant reduction in inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α; p < 0.05), providing a mechanistic explanation for the observed results.

The 28-day mortality rate was 9% in the Efferon NEO group compared to 35% in the control (p = 0.008, OR = 0.2).

Mikhail Rusak, Head of ICU at the Children’s Multidisciplinary Medical Center of Advanced Medical Technologies (Saint Petersburg): The results largely aligned with our clinical observations: children recovered faster and required less aggressive therapy. However, the final findings were unexpected. Until now, no major study has shown an effect of LPS adsorption on mortality reduction (the only exception being a post-hoc analysis of the EUPHRATES trial). Today, Efferon NEO is used in our ICU, as well as in neonatal and cardiac surgery intensive care units. We are gradually accumulating positive experience even in the most severe cases, including children with oncological diseases and bone marrow aplasia.

About the company Efferon is an innovative company that specializes in developing and producing hemoadsorption devices for extracorporeal blood purification used in the treatment of sepsis, multiple organ failure, and other critical conditions.

Today, the company’s product line includes two devices: Efferon LPS (the first hemoadsorbtion cartridge combining endotoxin and cytokine adsorption), Efferon NEO (specifically designed for pediatric use).Efferon’s hemadsorption technologies are available in more than 35 countries worldwide. The device has been approved for use in Australia, the United Kingdom, Croatia, and Saudi Arabia. In the EU, it was approved for use in sepsis patients under the MDR regulation.