NimoGel

NimoGel is being developed to prevent delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and improve patient outcome after SAH. NimoGel contains the FDA-approved active drug nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker, formulated with a biodegradable polymer that releases nimodipine over 14 days. NimoGel is implanted directly near the injury site during surgical clipping to secure the bleeding aneurysm and is expected to provide therapeutic and sustained concentrations of nimodipine to prevent DCI while minimizing side effects. DCI may develop in these patients due to a number of mechanisms including cerebral vasospasm, cortical spreading ischemia, and microthrombembolism. Since oral nimodipine was FDA approved in 1989, nimodipine has been given universally to SAH patients in oral or intravenous form to improve outcome, but it is only marginally effective because it does not achieve high enough drug concentrations at the site of brain injury to more effectively block the pathways leading to DCI. Higher dosages of nimodipine that might be more effective in the brain cause dangerous side effects in other parts of the body such as low blood pressure (hypotension) and lung complications. NimoGel is designed to overcome the limitations of systemic nimodipine.