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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4
C
ould an alternative to propofol be on its way? Drawbridge
Pharmaceuticals, an Australian company, hopes to bring an
anesthetic called Phaxan to market in the next few years.
The brand is new, but the fundamental science behind the new
drug isn't. Phaxan is a reformulation of a once-popular, but long-
gone, anesthetic called Althesin.
"Althesin was a very well-loved drug that was marketed by
Glaxo everywhere except the United States between 1972 and
1984," says anesthesiologist and surgeon Colin Goodchild, PhD,
Drawbridge's co-director and chief medical officer. "It still has the
highest safety profile of any anesthetic that's ever been synthe-
sized."
SURGEONS'
Lounge
THE
: Will Phaxan Challenge Propofol's Dominance?
Drawbridge
Pharmaceuticals
ALTHESIN REBIRTH Drawbridge Pharmaceuticals says
Phaxan has a much higher safety profile than propofol.
A SAFER ANESTHETIC
