Did you know that 2%-4% of patients suffer surgical site infections after leaving the operating table? Post-surgical infections are a leading cause of hospital readmissions and have a mortality rate of 3%.

This is an unfortunate post-op reality for some people. Fortunately, a biotech firm called Covira Surgical has a promising solution. 

The reality of post-surgical infections

There’s been an upturn in the number of post-op infections recently because of more virulent bacteria and less effective ways to combat them. Patients in different hospitals, despite being under the care of qualified surgeons, can still fall prey to virulent, difficult-to-combat bacteria after undergoing operations. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are contributing to the problem as well. 

The result is roughly 300,000 post-op infections every year in the U.S. alone.

And these aren’t minor complications that can be handled with an aspirin and a good night’s sleep, either.

Infections that set in within 30 days of a procedure can cause an additional 10 days of hospital admission, make the patient five times more likely to return to the hospital later, and cost the U.S. healthcare system an additional $34 billion in treatment.

Currently, over 270,000 deaths a year are attributed to sepsis mostly due to bacterial infections.

Introducing Dr. John Alverdy and Covira Surgical

Dr. John Alverdy is a Chicago-based surgeon who has made infection-related post-operative complications his life’s purpose. 

After 30 years of rigorous study, Dr. Alverdy helped form Covira Surgical, a biotech firm, to solve this problem that he is so knowledgeable and passionate about.

Specifically, his answer is in the form of a drinkable medicine called Pi-PEG.

What is Pi-PEG and how does it work?

 

Pi-PEG is a tasteless prescription medication that a person undergoing surgery can drink both before and after their operation. It’s very different from antibiotics which are the typical, go-to treatment options for harmful microbes like bacteria.

One of the dangers of antibiotics is the fact that they don’t only kill bad bacteria but they also kill good bacteria (they can’t distinguish between the two), which can weaken the body as a result. Pi-PEG, on the other hand, is designed to work in a more restorative manner.

Specifically, Pi-PEG actually works to strengthen a patient’s gut microbiome, bolstering and improving its natural defenses against the effects of an infection. At the same time, it promotes the body’s production of phosphate, which is a natural inhibitor of the growth and spread of bacteria.

This formula does not kill bacteria, but rather inhibits their virulence enough to leave them relatively harmless, thus enabling the body to continue building strength. In this way, the treatment pushes back against possible infection and helps the body recover normally.

When will Pi-PEG be available?

 

Following encouraging results in studies involving small animals, as well as over 200 positive reviews from peer review bodies, Pi-PEG is now undergoing the one-year-plus long procedure of receiving the go-ahead from the FDA to proceed with live human trials.

If everything goes well, this potential wonder drug is projected to bring in a revenue of $2.2 billion by 2037.

Covira Surgical is currently open to interested investors who can check out the specifics on them via StartEngine.

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