Ondine Biomedical Inc (AIM:OBI)'s share price rose by 13.66% during early trading today after the company said it had deepened its roll-out of Steriwave antibacterial nasal sprays across hospitals in Canada.
Its shares were trading at 8.24p per share on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange at 09:05 this morning, after closing at 7.25p yesterday.
The life sciences company said the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax has become the latest medical facility to adopt its Steriwave nasal photodisinfection system.
Earlier this week, Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) in British Columbia said it would use the technology as a standard-of-care measure for patients undergoing orthopaedic surgeries.
Steriwave is engineered to prevent infections that often follow orthopaedic surgeries. The advance comes at a critical time when hospitals are grappling with the rapid emergence of drug-resistant pathogens.
"It is hugely satisfying that Steriwave is now available in hospitals from coast to coast across Canada, giving patients enhanced protection against post-surgical infections," said Ondine CEO Carolyn Cross.
"This new hospital deployment demonstrates Steriwave's growing status as an effective alternative to topical antibiotics for infection prevention that easily fits into existing hospital workflows.
"In the US, we are continuing to move forward with our Phase 3 trial in partnership with HCA Healthcare who are providing invaluable input and support."
The urgency of this issue is underscored by the alarming statistics: one in nine hospital patients in Canada contracts a Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI), leading to approximately 12,000 fatalities annually.
Furthermore, the ineffectiveness of commonly used antibiotics due to rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rates has resulted in one in 19 deaths in Canada being attributed to antibiotic-resistant infections.
The financial implications are equally concerning. The cost burden of AMR on the Canadian healthcare system is projected to escalate from £1 billion to £5.7 billion per annum by 2050.