FDA Approves 1st Medication for Severe Frostbite

Severe frostbite can now be treated with Actelion Pharmaceutical’s Aurlumyn, an injectable medication that dilates blood vessels. The medication is the first to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treating the medical condition caused by exposure to extreme cold. The main ingredient in Aurlumyn is iloprost, which opens blood vessels and prevents blood from clotting, reducing the risk of finger or toe amputation. The drug was initially approved in 2004 to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. “This approval provides patients with the first-ever treatment option for severe frostbite,” said Dr. Norman Stockbridge, director of the division of cardiology and nephrology in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a press release. “Having this new option provides physicians with a tool that will help prevent the lifechanging amputation of one’s frostbitten fingers or toes.”...