The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Evicel Fibrin Sealant, a liquid product that when applied topically helps control oozing from small blood vessels during surgical procedures.

"Evicel provides an effective means to stop oozing from small vessels during vascular surgery when suturing, compression or other standard techniques are not effective or practical," said Jesse Goodman, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

This product is derived from pooled human plasma and consists of a fibrinogen concentrate and thrombin, two substances used to promote clotting. Both substances go through a two-stage process to reduce the risk of viral transmission in manufacturing, however, the potential risk for the transmission of blood-borne viruses cannot be totally eliminated.

In a pivotal study of 147 patients, the effectiveness of Evicel was compared with the standard bleeding control technique of applying pressure to a plastic covering (graft) placed over the open blood vessel. Eighty-three percent of those who received Evicel stopped bleeding within four minutes, compared with 39.7 percent in the control group.

Adverse events, such as anaemia and graft site infection, were generally mild and occurred at about the same frequencies in the Evicel-treated group and the control group.

FDA originally licensed the predecessor of Evicel (Crosseal) in 2003 for use during liver surgery. Evicel is manufactured by Omrix Biopharmaceuticals LTD, Kiryat Ono, Israel.