Viromed Medical AG has announced promising preclinical study results showing its cold plasma technology could significantly reduce mortality from ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), potentially preventing up to 6,000 deaths annually in Germany alone. The study, conducted by Hannover Medical School, demonstrates the therapeutic potential of the company's PulmoPlas® device in addressing one of intensive care medicine's most challenging complications.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Intensive Care
Ventilator-associated pneumonia represents a major threat to mechanically ventilated patients, occurring in up to 40% of the more than 480,000 patients who require mechanical ventilation annually in Germany. The condition carries mortality rates of up to 50%, with particularly devastating outcomes when initial antibiotic therapy fails.
"Our cold plasma technology addresses a previously unsolved key problem in modern intensive care medicine," said Uwe Perbandt, CEO of Viromed Medical AG. "The new data from our study show that early cold plasma treatment can prevent up to 6,000 deaths per year in Germany alone."
The clinical challenge is compounded by the fact that in one-third of VAP cases, initial empirical antibiotic therapy fails due to lack of resistance information, increasing mortality risk by 66%. This creates a critical treatment gap that Viromed's technology aims to fill.
Breakthrough Antimicrobial Efficacy
The PulmoPlas® plasma device demonstrated pronounced antimicrobial efficacy in vitro studies without damaging the sensitive lung epithelium—a breakthrough in modern intensive care medicine. Unlike traditional antibiotic approaches, cold plasma technology develops its antimicrobial effect regardless of the pathogen type or resistance profile, making it particularly valuable in the vulnerable early phase of infection.
Study projections indicate that for every 100 ventilated VAP patients, early cold plasma treatment could prevent two to three deaths. This represents both a medically significant and public health policy-relevant reduction in mortality rates.
Fast-Track Approval Strategy
The preclinical study is led by Prof. Dr. Hortense Slevogt from Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. Given the innovative nature of the physical procedure and high clinical demand, the principal investigator is pursuing a "fast-track" approval process.
Viromed plans to submit an application for special approval for cold plasma use in the lower respiratory tract in late summer 2025. The approval will focus exclusively on the company's patented PulmoPlas® system, positioning Viromed as the sole provider of this technology for VAP treatment.
Technology Platform and Market Position
As a pioneer in cold plasma technology, Viromed Medical AG has developed a non-drug, locally applicable therapeutic approach that operates independently of pathogen resistance patterns. The company, which has been publicly traded since October 2022, distributes its innovative cold plasma technology through its wholly owned subsidiary Viromed Medical GmbH, serving a broad customer base in the DACH region and beyond.
The technology addresses a critical unmet medical need in intensive care, where traditional antibiotic approaches often fall short due to resistance issues and the time-sensitive nature of VAP treatment. Cold plasma's pathogen-agnostic antimicrobial mechanism offers a potentially transformative approach to preventing VAP-related mortality in mechanically ventilated patients.
