Industry News and New Products

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Spring Announces New Registration Discount for Military Clinicians Addressing the Wound Healing Needs of US Soldiers

  The North American Center for Continuing Medical Education, LLC (NACCME) (Millstone Township, NJ), the CE-sponsor for the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Spring and Fall meetings, and SAWC co-host, HMP Communications, LLC, announced that United States Active Duty Military personnel are eligible for special attendee discounts to the 25th annual SAWC Spring and Wound Healing Society (WHS) Meeting to be held April 19–22, 2012 in Atlanta, GA.

  The medical needs of American soldiers are of critical importance, and NACCME/HMP would like to support clinicians serving in the armed forces who are caring for wounded military personnel. The military service discount is limited to those members serving active duty in one of the US armed forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard. The definition does not include service employees, members of the reserves, or others not in active service.

  Visit http://spring.sawc.net/ [4] or contact Tiffney Oliver at 609-630-6223 for more information.

Microcyn Wound Care Products Launched in US Hospitals, Acute Care Centers

  Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc (Petaluma, CA) partner, Eloquest Healthcare, launched the branded family of Microcyn® wound care products into US hospitals, ambulatory surgical, and acute care centers. The products, including Eloquest/Microcyn Wound Care with Preservatives and Eloquest/Microcyn Skin & Wound HydroGel, are prescription products, which to date have been marketed primarily to US podiatry and stand-alone wound care clinics under the Microcyn brand.

  Visit www.eloquesthealthcare.com [5] for more information.

ConvaTec Containment Device Flexi-Seal® FMS Shown to Contain and Prevent Spread of C. Diifficile

  The Flexi-Seal® Fecal Management System has been shown to contain and help prevent the spread of the deadly “Superbug” Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), according to ConvaTec (Skillman, NJ). Based on the results of scientific research showing advanced capabilities in fecal management, the system is an important management option for hospitals and long-term care settings to reduce the risk of C. difficile infection among patients and health care workers.

  In an in vitro study over 31 days, the management system was challenged with a C. difficile-inoculated medium. In this study, no airborne dispersal of C. difficile spores was detected. In the same study, a comparative control involving disposable, absorbent underpads used in fecal management in many hospitals, C. difficile was able to spread across the underpad barrier, presenting a risk of colonization on other surfaces, and a potential for infection.

  Visit www.convatec.com [6] for more information.

Systagenix Wins 2012 Award for Innovation and Technologyfor for WOUNDCHEK™ Protease Status

  Systagenix (Gatwick, England) won the Award for Innovation and Technology for the launch of WOUNDCHEK™ Protease Status at the 2012 Gatwick Diamond Business Awards prize ceremony held on March 22 at Copthorne Effingham Park (Copthorne, UK). As a winner of this award, Systagenix had to demonstrate how innovation has led to an improvement to its business, with the submission showcasing the company’s commitment to launching WOUNDCHEK Protease Status, the world’s first point-of-care diagnostic test for wounds.

  The awards have been created to celebrate and reward business achievement, highlighting the best in business across a region that houses offices and headquarters of over 450 international businesses, including Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, PWC, BA, Virgin, and Deloitte.

  Systagenix just launched the world’s first rapid, point of care diagnostic test developed specifically for chronic wounds, WOUNDCHEK Protease Status, which has the potential to revolutionize wound care by enabling early, targeted intervention, and cost effective use of advanced therapies designed to modulate protease activity.

  Visit www.systagenix.com [7] for more information.

Derma Sciences to Acquire MedEfficiency; Expands Proprietary Advanced Wound Care Product Offering

  Derma Sciences, Inc (Princeton, NJ), signed an agreement to acquire MedEfficiency, Inc, manufacturer of the TCC-EZ™ Total Contact Cast system, for $14.5 million in cash. MedEfficiency is a privately held company selling a proprietary line of medical devices used for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. In 2011, MedEfficiency had annual revenues of $5.3 million and gross margins of approximately 60%. Revenue growth in 2011 was approximately 45% over 2010. Since 2008, Derma Sciences has been a distributor of MedEfficiency’s TCC-EZ Total Contact Cast system. The acquisition of this market-leading advanced wound care product will increase Derma Sciences overall sales, gross margins, cash flows, and sales force productivity. In 2011, Derma Sciences had revenues of $1.45 million, up 88% over 2010, at gross margin of 36% from the sale of MedEfficiency’s products.

  Visit www.dermasciences.com [8] for more information.

American Board of WOund Medicine and Surgery Established in Ohio

  The American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery (ABWMS) was established and incorporated in the State of Ohio. The new Board, according to the President and Chairman Board, Richard Simman, MD, FACS, CWS, FACCWS, was established to formally recognize the physician practice of wound medicine and surgery.

  Physicians, MDs, or DOs, who wish to sit for the examination, will be able to apply on the Board’s website. The window for the first certification examination will be June 16–30, 2012. Applicant requirements will be found on the website. Deadline for the initial examination is May 1, 2012.

  Visit www.abwms.org [9] for more information.

Tissue Viability Service at Brentwood Community Hospital is First to Purchase New Test for Wounds

  Brentwood Community Hospital (London) is the first in the world to offer WoundChek Protease Status as a diagnostic test, which can identify elevated protease levels in 15 minutes and allows clinicians to decide the best treatment for patients.

  The hospital, which is part of North East London NHS Foundation Trust, is leading the way both nationally and internationally after launching a new tissue viability service.

  Until now clinicians have relied on sight and smell to diagnose wounds.

  Visit www.systagenix.com [7] for more information.

Systagenix Launched EPIFIX® Amniotic Membrane Allograft for Acute and Chronic Wounds

  Systagenix (Gatwick, UK) launched EPIFIX® in the United States in March as part of a global distribution agreement reached with MiMedx Group, Inc. EPIFIX is a human amniotic membrane allograft which has been shown to promote regeneration of soft tissues. Processed by Surgical Biologics, a MiMedx Group company, EPIFIX is a minimally manipulated natural membrane that provides growth factors and an extracellular matrix for cellular ingrowth for enhanced healing.

  EPIFIX has a 5-year shelf life, which is substantially longer compared to other products in this area, and does not require a cold supply chain. The unique proprietary PurionSM process avoids compromising the delicate structure of the amniotic membrane and testing has confirmed that EPIFIX retains several growth factors associated with promoting cell proliferation.

  Visit www.systagenix.com [7] for more information.

Cardium Announces US Market Introduction of Excellagen

  Cardium Therapeutics (San Diego, CA) introduced its Excellagen™ professional-use, syringe-based wound care product for the management of diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and other dermal wounds.

  Excellagen is a new, FDA-cleared highly-refined fibrillar collagen-based topical gel (2.6%) designed to support favorable wound care management. Its unique high molecular weight bovine Type I collagen formulation is topically applied through easy-to-control, pre-filled, single-use syringes. Excellagen is intended for physician use following surgical debridement procedures, and is engineered to support a favorable wound healing environment for nonhealing lower extremity ulcers in diabetic patients. Excellagen’s viscosity optimized biocompatible gel formulation requires application at only one or 2-week intervals. It is recommended that Excellagen be applied following surgical debridement in the presence of blood cells and platelets, which are involved with the release of endogenous growth factors.

  Visit www.excellagen.com [10] for more information.

Uluru Set To Launch Altrazeal Wound Care Product in Several Markets

  Altrazeal is based on Uluru’s NanoFlex proprietary technology and is a sterile powder that when applied to a moist wound, interacts with bodily fluids, and hydrates. The NanoFlex powder then aggregates and creates a moist wound dressing that conforms to the surface of the wound and seals it, helping to reduce pain.

  The result is an advanced, engineered material designed to provide specific properties to enhance healing and support tissue repair. The dressing, which is composed of biocompatible materials used in several medical devices, is a micro-porous, skin-like film that is intended as a primary treatment for chronic wounds, such as leg ulcers, diabetic ulcers, acute wounds, and burns.

  Altrazeal contours to mimic all wound sizes and shapes, and contains 68% water, which is nearly equivalent to the skin.

  The product’s vapor transportation rate, or the rate at which the fluid from the wound is transported through the capillaries into the atmosphere, is more than 10 times greater than competitive items on the market. This effectively manages fluid from the wound which allows for extended recommended wear time of up to 10 days, and decreased pressure at the wound bed, which supports cellular function and tissue repair.

  The small pore size within the material also prevents bacterial penetration and does not allow tissue to infiltrate, but does allow oxygen to the wound.

  Visit www.uluruinc.com [11] for more information.

SANUWAVE’s dermaPACE® Shown To Improve Skin Flap Survival

  SANUWAVE Health, Inc (Alpharetta, GA) reported publication of peer-reviewed, preclinical data conducted at Heidelberg University Hospital, the largest medical center in Germany, that demonstrates the ability of the Company’s dermaPACE® technology to improve skin flap survival after a specific type of tissue injury known as ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. During IR injury, a period of low blood flow (ischemia) is followed by restoration of normal blood flow (reperfusion). This sequence of events is known to cause negative tissue effects, and it is often encountered clinically in many types of microsurgical procedures, including skin flaps and replantation surgery.

  The publication, entitled “Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment Protects Skin Flaps Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury,” appeared in the March 2012 issue of Injury. The authors demonstrated that a single treatment of dermaPACE, delivered after significant tissue injury, greatly improved skin flap survival and blood flow. The data also illustrated that dermaPACE treatment improved skin flap survival to an extent that replicated healthy tissue with normal blood flow, suggesting that dermaPACE treatment protects skin flaps against the negative effects of IR injuries.
Visit www.sanuwave.com [12] for more information.