Prolong Pharmaceuticals
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About Prolong

A privately held biotech company in South Plainfield, New Jersey, that develops and manufactures its own drugs under one roof.

Our story

In the 1970s and '80s, Prolong's scientific founders helped develop PEGylation: a drug delivery technology that wraps a protein in polyethylene glycol to extend its lifespan in the body. At Enzon, the technique led to Adagen in 1990, the first approved PEGylated protein.

Prolong was founded to apply the same technique to hemoglobin.

For about a decade, PP-007, previously SANGUINATE®, was studied in sickle cell disease, severe anemia, kidney transplant and brain injury after hemorrhage. An emergency-use program also supplied it to patients who could not receive blood.

The turn to stroke came from numerous animal studies in addition to proof-of-concept observed in delayed cerebral ischemia, leading to HEMERA-1.

From Adagen to HEMERA-1

  1. 1990Adagen approved, the first PEGylated proteinOrigin
  2. 2002Prolong foundedFounded
  3. 2010Moves into the South Plainfield facilityFacility
  4. 2013First human studyClinical
  5. 2015Orphan Drug Designation in sickle cell disease; facility expandsRegulatory
  6. 2021HEMERA-1 begins in acute ischemic strokeClinical
  7. 2024FDA Fast Track designationRegulatory
  8. 2026FDA Breakthrough Therapy designationRegulatory

Where it is made

Every manufacturing step happens in-house in South Plainfield: purifying the hemoglobin, PEGylating it and filling the bags. The facility is a large-scale cGMP, built for clinical supply, with room to scale for a pivotal trial and beyond.

  1. 01SourceBovine blood from a dedicated, scalable supply herd.
  2. 02PurifyHemoglobin is separated from the red cells and purified.
  3. 03PEGylatePEG chains are attached, and the hemoglobin is loaded with carbon monoxide.
  4. 04FillFilled into ready-to-use 500 mL bags for IV infusion.

Scientific Advisory Board

  • Dr. Italo LinfanteDirector of Interventional Neuroradiology, Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience InstituteChair
  • Dr. Raul NogueiraDirector, UPMC Stroke Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
  • Dr. David LiebeskindDirector, UCLA Stroke Center
  • Dr. Arvind SharmaNeurologist, stroke specialist, Zydus Hospitals