OrganOx Ltd, a leading organ medical technology company, has announced that Health Canada has approved the OrganOx metra System for use during liver transplantation. The OrganOx metra System is currently commercially available for liver transplantation in the U.S., the U.K., and the European Union. The company plans to commercially launch the system in Canada in 2025.
The OrganOx metra System utilises normothermic machine perfusion, or NMP, to circulate oxygenated blood, medications, and nutrients to donated organs at normal body temperature and near physiological conditions. This innovative technology extends organ preservation time, allows pre-transplant clinical assessment of organ viability and can dramatically improve operational logistics for both transplant teams and patients.
“We are thrilled to receive this authorisation in Canada, further advancing our vision to improve clinical outcomes for liver transplant patients around the globe,” said Craig Marshall, CEO of OrganOx. “In the coming months we look forward to introducing the metra to transplant centres across Canada.”
The performance of the metra system has been evaluated across several clinical trials including the Consortium for Organ Preservation in Europe (COPE) European Trial, the first randomised trial to assess machine perfusion versus static cold storage in liver transplantation. Compared with static cold storage, the OrganOx metra achieved a 50% lower level of graft injury despite a 54% longer mean preservation time.