Steriwave Deploys in 5 Southern Ontario Hospitals

Ondine Biomedical Inc. (AIM: OBI), a leader in light-activated antimicrobial therapies for the prevention and treatment of hospital infections, announces that five hospitals across Southern Ontario are deploying its Steriwave® nasal photodisinfection to support infection prevention for patients undergoing major orthopaedic and spine surgery.

The five hospitals collectively serve a population of more than 3 million people across the region and are expected to deploy Steriwave across approximately 4,300 hip and knee replacement patients and 700 spine surgery patients annually. The hospitals are introducing Steriwave as part of their commitment to delivering the best possible patient care and reducing the risk of preventable surgical site infections ("SSIs") in high-volume surgical pathways.

Surgical site infections ("SSIs") remain a significant and preventable burden for patients and healthcare systems. In hip and knee replacement surgery, a Canadian study found that complex SSIs added approximately C$75,000 in healthcare costs per patient over the following year, based on 2016 costs, equivalent to approximately C$99,000 today after inflation adjustment.[1] Beyond the financial burden, these infections can delay recovery, require additional treatment and antibiotics, lead to avoidable readmissions and place pressure on hospital capacity. For hospitals performing high volumes of hip and knee replacements, reducing infection risk can have meaningful implications for patient outcomes, surgical waitlists and efficient use of hospital resources.

The nasal cavity is a primary reservoir for harmful bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA, which can migrate to surgical wounds and cause SSIs. Steriwave uses a non-antibiotic, light-activated formulation to rapidly reduce nasal pathogens in a brief, clinician-administered treatment performed shortly before surgery. Delivered at the point of care, it avoids the multi-day patient application required with traditional antibiotic nasal ointments, supports consistent administration, and offers a non-antibiotic approach with low potential for the development of microbial resistance.

The deployments come as Ondine continues to build clinical momentum for Steriwave nasal photodisinfection, including the recent announcement of positive topline results from its 5,188-patient LANTERN Phase 3 trial in the United States and Canada. LANTERN evaluated nasal photodisinfection as an addition to standard of care for the prevention of surgical site infections and met its primary efficacy endpoint. Detailed analysis of the complete dataset is ongoing.

Carolyn Cross, CEO of Ondine Biomedical, commented:

"We are very pleased to support these Southern Ontario hospitals as they advance infection prevention for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement and spine surgery. These are important surgical pathways where preventing infection is critical to patient recovery, confidence in care and efficient use of hospital capacity.

"This deployment reflects the growing recognition that hospitals need practical, non-antibiotic tools that can be delivered reliably at the point of care. By introducing Steriwave across approximately 5,000 surgical patients annually, these hospitals are taking a proactive step to strengthen patient care and reduce the burden of preventable infections."

The deployments add to Steriwave's expanding use in Canadian hospitals and support Ondine's broader commercial strategy of targeted adoption in high-value surgical pathways, followed by expansion across hospital sites, networks and additional patient populations.

About Ondine Biomedical Inc.

Ondine's lead product, Steriwave®, is authorised for nasal decolonisation in Canada and certain international markets. In the United States, the technology has been granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation and Fast Track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Ondine recently reported positive topline results from its 5,188-patient Phase 3 LANTERN trial, which met its prespecified primary efficacy endpoint.

U.S. Regulatory Status

Reference

[1] Rennert-May E, et al. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 2018;39(10):1183-1188. (link)

Adjusted using the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, C$75,000 in 2016 is equivalent to approximately C$99,000 in 2026 dollars.