New Products and Industry News

Common stock closed stock public offering

  Derma Sciences, Inc (Princeton, NJ) closed an underwritten public offering of 3,521,300 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $10.34 per share, which includes the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 459,300 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments.

  Total net proceeds to the company were approximately $33.8 million after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses. The company plans to use these proceeds for the continued development of its drug candidate DSC127 for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and for general corporate purposes.

  For more information, visit www.dermasciences.com.

Foam dressing protects against skin breakdown

  ConvaTec’s (Skillman, NJ) AQUACEL foam dressings can now be used as part of a comprehensive protocol to protect patients from skin breakdown tied to friction and moisture.

  In in vitro tests, the foam dressing showed a 75% reduction in skin-damaging friction compared to traditional Mepilex Border dressings.

  Although moisture on the skin does not directly cause skin breakdown, it softens the skin, making it more susceptible to damage. The AQUACEL layer helps prevent skin compromise by transforming into a gel upon contact with moisture, preventing the outward spread of fluid where it can soften and break down otherwise healthy skin.

  For more information, visit www.convatec.com/aquacelfoam.

Company acquires new skin grafting technology

  Kinetic Concepts, Inc (San Antonio, TX) has completed its acquisition of MoMelan Technologies, Inc (Cambridge, MA), a privately held medical technology company developing skin grafting solutions.

  MoMelan developed an epidermal grafting solution utilizing donor site-sparing technology for enabling and standardizing the use of epidermal skin grafting that can be performed in the office or outpatient setting with minimal discomfort. This technology enables a consistent and reproducible harvest of autologous grafts of uniform thickness that are immediately applied to the recipient site.

  The technology’s value in skin grafting procedures makes it a strategic fit into the company’s portfolio of negative pressure technologies. This technology is expected to be launched commercially by the end of 2013.

  For more information, visit www.KCI1.com.

FDA import alert prompts increase in US production

  Covidien (Mansfield, MA) has increased manufacturing of its made-in-the-United States, cotton-based wound care products to ensure there are no disruptions in the supply of these materials. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced an import alert on certain steam-sterilized plastic bandages and cotton pads imported from China. These products have been detained without physical examination due to microbiological contamination. Covidien does not import or distribute any of the steam-sterilized products affected by the FDA’s decision.

  For more information, visit www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_227.html.

Breakout milestones in advanced wound care achieved

  Preliminary formulations of BioLargo, Inc (La Mirada, CA) antimicrobial hydrogel and liquid wound cleanser products have passed third-party laboratory testing validating both efficacy and safety. Independent testing has verified both rapid and effective control against a host of dangerous pathogens commonly encountered in the wound care field.

  The company also has entered into a strategic alliance with Formulated Solutions, LLC (Largo, FL), which will provide a host of services, including laboratory, regulatory, manufacturing, quality assurance, and supply chain and help BioLargo deliver market-ready products that feature the company’s technology as soon as possible in the second half of 2013.

  For more information, visit www.BioLargo.com.

Negative pressure wound therapy system launched in Canada

  Kinetic Concepts, Inc (San Antonio, TX) launched the V.A.C. Ulta™ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System at the Canadian Association of Wound Care conference in London, Ontario.

  The system builds on the company’s clinically proven healing technology, offering two therapies in one device (either stand-alone V.A.C. Therapy or V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy), which offers automated, timed delivery of solutions and is customizable for a wide variety of wound.

  For more information visit www.VACUlta.com.

Global wound care market to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2011-2015

  Research and Markets announced the addition of the “Global Wound Care Market 2011–2015” report to their offering.

  One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increase in aging population. The Global Wound Care market also has been witnessing the trend of increasing demand for combination dressings. However, the intense competition among vendors could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.

  Key vendors dominating this space include Kinetic Concepts Inc, Smith & Nephew, Johnson & Johnson, and ConvaTec Inc.

  According to the report, the growth of the Global Wound Care market is proportional to the increase in the aging population. The continuous worldwide increase in the aging population is contributing to the increasing prevalence of chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and venous ulcers.

  Further, the report notes that one of the major challenges in the market is the intense competition among vendors.

  For more information, visit www.researchandmarkets.com.

Botox approved to treat overactive bladder

  The US Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved use of Botox (onabotulinumtoxin-A) (Allergan Inc, Irvine, CA) to treat adults with overactive bladder who cannot use or do not adequately respond to a class of medications known as anticholinergics.

  When Botox is injected into the bladder muscle, it causes the bladder to relax, increasing the bladder’s storage capacity and reducing episodes of urinary incontinence. Injecting the bladder with Botox is performed using cystoscopy, a procedure that allows a doctor to visualize the interior of the bladder while Botox is being injected.

  Botox’s safety and effectiveness for this new indication were established in two clinical trials of 1,105 patients with symptoms of overactive bladder. Patients were randomly assigned to receive injections of 100 units of Botox (20 injections of 5 units each) or placebo.

  Results after 12 weeks showed patients treated with Botox experienced urinary incontinence an average of 1.6 to 1.9 times less per day than patients treated with placebo. Botox-treated patients also needed to urinate on average 1.0 to 1.7 times less per day and expelled an average of about 30 mL more urine than those treated with placebo.

  Treatment with Botox can be repeated when the benefits from the previous treatment have decreased, but there should be at least 12 weeks between treatments.

  For more information, visit www.fda.gov.

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.