NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an

Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 ...

based clinical-stage

biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

company, focused on developing novel, fast-acting, synthetic anti-infectives compounds. These compounds are designed to mimic the body's defense system against infection. The company is currently focused on products for the eye care market. Major products include ''Avenova'', cleared by FDA for lid and lash cleansing as part of a regimen for

Blepharitis Blepharitis is one of the most common ocular conditions characterized by inflammation, scaling, reddening, and crusting of the eyelid. This condition may also cause swelling, burning, itching, or a grainy sensation when introducing foreign object ...

. and ''NeutroPhase'', used in treatment of

Necrotizing Fasciitis Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease, is a bacterial infection that results in the death of parts of the body's soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms usually include red or p ...

History

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded by Ron Najafi, an organic chemist who had previously worked for several pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotech companies in the U.S. Najafi became intrigued by

HOCl Hypochlorous acid (HClO, HOCl, or ClHO) is a weak acid that forms when chlorine dissolves in water, and itself partially dissociates, forming hypochlorite, ClO−. HClO and ClO− are oxidizers, and the primary disinfection agents of chlorine solu ...

hypochlorous acid Hypochlorous acid (HClO, HOCl, or ClHO) is a weak acid that forms when chlorine dissolves in water, and itself partially dissociates, forming hypochlorite, ClO−. HClO and ClO− are oxidizers, and the primary disinfection agents of chlorine sol ...

, an antimicrobial substance produced by

White Blood Cells White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

while investigating the chemical reaction of

during oxidative burst cycle.

and other chlorine-containing chemicals fight invading microbes. These natural substances rapidly oxidize the cell walls of bacteria and the protein coats of viruses, rendering them inactive. Najafi started NovaBay Pharmaceuticals in 2000 to create a stable version of

. Najafi, chemistry Nobel laureate

Herbert C. Brown Herbert Charles Brown (May 22, 1912 – December 19, 2004) was an American chemist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with organoboranes. Life and career Brown was born Herbert Brovarnik in London, to Ukrainian Jewis ...

, and Purdue University Professor Dale Margerum recruited Dr. Lu Wang to NovaBay, where she is now Director of Product Development. She was able to develop the stable version of pure hypochlorous acid, without bleach impurities, which became NovaBay's first product, ''NeutroPhase'' and cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010. The product successfully treats a variety of chronic non-healing wounds without the use of standard antibiotics. NovaBay announced two new products named CelleRx™ for Plastic Surgery and i-Lid™ Cleanser (Now Avenova) that was cleared by FDA for lid and lash cleansing as part of a regimen for Blepharitis.

Corporate Governance

, the members of the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals were: Mark Sieczkarek, Paul E. Freiman, Paul Li, Gail Maderis, Yonghao (Carl) Ma, Todd Zavodnick, Mijia (Bob) Wu and Xiaoyan (Henry) Liu.

Products

Products on the market

Avenova (formerly known as ''i-Lid Cleanser'') NovaBay’s new Advanced i-Lid Cleanser has been Cleared by the FDA for Cleaning, Removing Debris and Microbes from the Skin around the Eyes, the Eyelids and Eyelashes eyelid and lash cleansing as part of a regimen for Blepharitis." NeutroPhase CelleRx, for Plastic Surgery

Products under development

NovaBay developed a method for making a stable pure form of

(HOCl), a substance produced by the immune system as an effective first defense against microbial invaders. The company calls their proprietary formulation ''Neutrox''. The company's chemists also created a related family of compounds which the company calls ''Aganocides''. The company is currently developing compounds with anti-bacterial and anti-viral action. Potential applications include flesh-eating disease, problems related to in-dwelling

urinary catheter In urinary catheterization a latex, polyurethane, or silicone tube known as a urinary catheter is inserted into the bladder through the urethra to allow urine to drain from the bladder for collection. It may also be used to inject liquids used ...

s, and common eye conditions. Compounds are also being developed for the veterinary market.

References

External links

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NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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" {{Authority control Companies listed on NYSE American Pharmaceutical companies of the United States Companies based in Emeryville, California Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Health care companies based in California