A twenty-year battle for a Chattanooga doctor and his medical company gets a shot in the arm.
It moves a potentially life-saving treatment for a pregnancy related condition one step closer to reality.
Glenveigh Medical just received a special designation from the FDA.
It's a risk for all pregnant women and their babies.
High blood pressure and protein in the urine called Preeclampsia occurs in 5 to 8 percent of pregnancies in the US.
It can lead to serious symptoms.
Dr. David Adair, Glenveigh Medical, "Worldwide it's the number one number two killer of women and certainly one of the biggest contributors to death of a premature infant."
But one of the first treatments for the most severe form of the disease could come from Chattanooga.
And it just got a shot in the arm.
"We're very excited about it. An external validation of 20 years of work," says Dr. Adair.
Glenveigh Medical just got what's called an Orphan designation from the FDA for its use of an existing drug to treat Preeclampsia and Eclampsia.
Dr. Garrett Lam, "We've been the first to actually see that a body function can actually be reversed or improved with the medication in a woman with Preeclampsia."
And another exciting finding.
Dr. Garrett Lam tells me babies of treated moms also had fewer complications like bleeding in the brain.
That could mean prevention of conditions like cerebral palsy.
Dr. Lam,"There's an awful lot more that needs to be done but it's very hopefull."
And hope is what Dr. Adair tells me the Orphan designation and the patent now hanging on the wall at Glenveigh add up to.
Dr. Adair, "It really signifies that these women have been neglected for a long time and that, you know, there's really no treatment that's effective besides the delivery.
Hope for saving more babies and moms.
Dr. Adair says this journey started with a group of local doctors who invested in the idea.
This latest designation means there's a chance for bigger investors.
It also means Glenveigh can apply for certain grants and tax credits and get a quicker review for approval from the FDA.
