HITIT MEDICAL

THERAPEUTIC APHERESIS

 

Apheresis represents a novel therapeutic direction that holds great promise for effective treatment of intractable diseases that do not respond adequately to drugs or other conventional medical treatments. In contrast to drug treatment which is “additive” in nature, apheresis is in principle a “subtractive” therapy. During extra-corporeal circulation, the patient’s blood is filtered to remove excessive or unwanted substances, then the purified blood is returned to the body.

Because this subtractive therapy seeks to preserve the body’s essential functions by returning blood in nearly the natural state, apheresis is known to have few side effects. Therefore, it offers hope as a therapy not only for intractable diseases, but also in cases where exposure to drugs must be restricted, as in the case of pregnant women, infants, young children and the elderly. Preventive medicine is another area where apheresis has potential. As these products receive acceptance for a wider range of applications, patients gain options for treatment. In this way, we are bringing hope to patients everywhere who stand to benefit from apheresis.

For such a promising therapy, apheresis has yet to receive the recognition it merits. Apheresis will become established only when it is known to and chosen by doctors and patients. Therefore, we are working to raise awareness of apheresis therapy and expand therapeutic opportunities by supporting the introduction of equipment and technology. In this way, we are helping to make apheresis available as a therapy for intractable diseases to as many patients as possible.