Healthpoint Signs Distribution Agreement to Launch OASIS® Wound Matrix and OASIS® Burn Matrix in Central America

       Healthpoint®, Ltd., has signed an agreement with Costa Rica-based Elcom to market and sell OASIS® Wound Matrix and OASIS® Burn Matrix. OASIS is a biomaterial that can be used in the management of partial- and full-thickness skin loss injuries, such as pressure, venous, and chronic vascular ulcers, diabetic ulcers, surgical and trauma wounds, second-degree burns, abrasions, and autograft donor sites.
       The agreement grants Elcom exclusive distribution rights for OASIS products in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama.
       Based in San Jose, Elcom provides innovative technologies for the medical market in Costa Rica and surrounding countries.
       OASIS is based on the Cook® Biotech Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa, or SIS Technology, and is a natural, extracellular matrix used to manage a variety of wounds by providing an environment that allows a patient’s body to rebuild and repair damaged tissue.
       Indiana-based Cook Biotech, a manufacturer of tissue-engineered biomaterials for numerous medical and surgical applications, will continue to manufacture the product.
       “Elcom is pleased to be Healthpoint’s distributor in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama,” said Marco Jimenez, founder of Elcom. “We believe there is significant market potential for this innovative wound matrix and look forward to developing OASIS for patients throughout our national healthcare market.”
       “Elcom offers experience in the advanced wound care field, knowledge of the Costa Rica healthcare market, and insight with regard to the marketing of new and innovative product concepts, all of which make Elcom the ideal distributor for OASIS products in Costa Rica,” said Jay Nisbet, Senior Director of International Business Development for Healthpoint.
       “We are looking forward to introducing OASIS into Central America,” states Benjamin Vicuna, Director of International Business Development for Healthpoint. “We are excited about entering this market with such a unique product with proven clinical effectiveness and clear advantage over the competition.”
       For more information, visit www.healthpoint.com

Cambrex and Ortec International Partner to Market Orcel in the US

       Cambrex Corporation announces that it has entered into a multiyear agreement for Cambrex to market and distribute ORCEL®, a bioactive wound care product to treat chronic and acute wounds, such as venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and donor site wounds in burn patients. The companies have an existing agreement under which Cambrex is the exclusive manufacturer of the wound care product. The new agreement expands upon the existing relationship, further aligns the companies’ goals, and provides a unique approach to effectively commercialize the product.
       For more information, call 201-804-3062 or visit www.cambrex.com

Medicare to Reimburse for SofPulse PMF Therapy for Chronic Wounds

       Ivivi Technologies, a subsidiary of ADM Tronics Unlimited, Inc. and developer of the SofPulse, a pulsed electromagnetic therapy medical device, announces that the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will reimburse for pulsed magnetic field (PMF) therapy for chronic stage 3 or stage 4 pressure ulcers, arterial ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and venous stasis ulcers. Now, long-term rehab centers, hospitals, nursing homes, and doctors can get reimbursed for patients treated with the SofPulse.
       The SofPulse, a patented PMF device, is cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It emits an extremely low-power radio frequency signal into a desired area, directly through dressings, casts, or clothing, without touching the skin, painlessly and effectively.
       “We are very pleased that the government has officially recognized the benefits of PMF therapy,” said André DiMino, Chair of Ivivi Technologies and President of ADM Tronics. “The very sad news of Christopher Reeve’s fatal pressure sore has moved this issue to the forefront of public consciousness, and Ivivi Technologies is committed to educating the medical community about this treatment option.”
       For more information, visit http://www.ivivitechnologies.com

International Stars of Diabetic Foot Care to Converge on Hollywood March 3–5, 2005

       The international stars of diabetic foot care are coming to Hollywood March 3–5, 2005, for DF Con 05 Global Diabetic Foot Conference at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.
The conference will bring together all the important disciplines involved in treatment of the diabetic foot in an educational program led by a stellar faculty from North and South America and Europe, according to David Armstrong, DPM, PhD, and George Andros, MD, conference co-chairs.
       “We believe DF Con quickly will establish itself as the premier multidisciplinary diabetic foot meeting in the world, with a significant impact on diabetic foot treatment,” said Dr. Armstrong.
       DF Con 05 builds on the High Risk Diabetic Foot in the New Millennium symposia held in Los Angeles in 2002 and 2003.
       The Renaissance Hollywood is in the new Hollywood & Highland complex that helped revitalize the famed movie capital. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will cater the conference.
Presenting sponsor is Providence Health System, which operates hospitals and long-term care and assisted living facilities in a four-state area, with Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University, and CLEAR.
       For information, visit www.dfcon.com

Innovative Wound Care Technology by Vital Needs International Positioned for Commercialization

       Vital Needs International (VNI) announces the release of a wound care technology, called Voyager™, that is designed to close wounds by supporting negative pressure therapy techniques related to plastic and reconstructive surgery.
       According to VNI, the system is smaller, more transportable, and generates less noise than other negative pressure technology on the market. It may improve patient quality of life as well.
       The product is lightweight and about the size of a deck of cards.
       The technology has applications for patients with chronic and traumatic wounds related to diabetes and/or have had procedures related to general and plastic surgery, such as burns, biopsies, and reconstructive surgery. The system can be used in the hospital, extended care, and home settings.
       For more information, visit www.vitalneeds.com

KeraCure Initiates Pilot Study in Diabetic Foot Ulcers

       KeraCure, Inc. announces that the first patients have been treated in a pilot study to test its investigational device called KeraPac™. The company plans to enroll up to 15 patients with stage 3/4 diabetic foot ulcers. The company recently received FDA approval to conduct the study in a single center at the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company expects to complete enrollment early in 2005.
       The device is comprised of human keratinocytes, grown on microcarrier beads and packaged in a unique patented dressing configuration. The product is placed externally on a clean wound and removed several days later. It is distinguished by its simplicity, low cost to produce, and storage capability.
       For more information, please call 312-780-7438.