New Products and Industry News

Papain-urea debriding ointment now available to Medicaid patients in all 50 states

    Smith & Nephew Wound Management (Largo, Fla.) announced that Gladase™, the company’s papain-urea debriding ointment, is now available for use with patients covered by Medicaid in all 50 states. This ensures that clinicians and patients have access to fast, effective, safe, and economical wound debridement. The ointment uses papain, a proteolytic enzyme derived from papayas, and urea, a denaturant of proteins, to remove necrotic tissue and liquefy slough in acute wounds, chronic wounds, infected wounds, carbuncles, and burns and contribute to the healing process.

    For more information, please call 1-800-876-1261, or visit www.smith-nephew.com. 

Scar-reducing product data introduced

    Data supporting the use of a collagenase enzymatic debriding agent (Collagenase® Santyl Ointment, Ross Products, Columbus, Ohio) to reduce the rate of hypertrophic scarring in burn patients was recently presented by Arnold Luterman, MD, FRSC, Medical Director of the Regional Burn and Wound Center, University of South Alabama, Mobile, at the 17th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care.

    In the 1990s, Harry S. Soroff, MD, and J.F. Hansbrough, MD, found that using collagenase in partial-thickness burn patients showed a reduction in the time to a clean wound bed and a faster time to wound closure versus a widely used topical burn therapy. Based on these data, the Regional Burn and Wound Center at University of South Alabama, began investigating the effect of incorporating collagenase into their treatment protocols. The findings uncovered an unexpected outcome on hypertrophic scarring in burn patients.
The 8-year study concluded that scarring was dramatically reduced when a collagenase enzymatic debriding agent was used in place of wet-to-dry dressings for the treatment of burn wounds. The occurrence in scarring dropped significantly in those patients treated with collagenase as reflected below.

    In addition to the reduction in scarring, the researchers also found that when collagenase was used in place of the wet-to-dry dressings, the number of patients with hospital stays longer than 2 weeks dropped dramatically.

    For more information, call (800) 986-8510. 

Heel dressing receives APMA seal of approval

    Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (San Antonio, Tex.) has received the American Podiatric Medical Association’s (APMA) Seal of Approval for its V.A.C.® GranuFoam™ Heel Dressing. The application-specific dressing is used for advanced wound healing and is designed to fit the contours of the heel to aid in the treatment of chronic and difficult-to-treat wounds. The open pore surface of the dressing allows for granulation of tissue as well as exudate removal. Additionally, a T.R.A.C. Pad bridge, conveniently located on top of the foot, allows for greater patient mobility, comfort, and faster dressing changes.

    The APMA’s rigorous product review includes a review of key research, intended usage, patents and composition, and evidence of quality control procedures, with attention to proven product safety and efficacy.

    For more information, please visit www.apma.org https://www.apma.org. 

Venous leg ulcer product studies yield positive results

    XCELLentis (Gent, Belgium) a wholly owned subsidiary of Innogenetics, announced the final results of its open-label phase 2 clinical trial with LyphoDerm for the treatment of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers. The product consists of freeze-dried cultured human keratinocytes. The wound repair stimulating effect of keratinocyte cultures can be partially attributed to the presence of growth factors. Keratinocytes are cells located in the outer part of the skin that synthesize unique elements relevant to wound healing in addition to a variety of growth factors.

    In addition to confirming the previous results announced in early March 2004, further analyses provide new evidence of potential treatment effectiveness in this difficult-to-treat condition.

New supply agreement forged

    Derma Sciences, Inc. (Princeton, NJ) announced a new multiyear supply agreement with Premier Purchasing Partners, LP (San Diego, Calif.). Premier is a healthcare alliance collectively owned by more than 200 independent hospitals and healthcare systems in the US. The new 3-year, multisource agreement is effective June 1, 2004, and offers Premier’s members Derma Sciences’ wide selection of patient bathing formulations for hair and body cleansing, including Soft Wash® single use bath sponge, a no-rinse bathing product. As part of the agreement, Derma Sciences also will provide its skin care products, including Dermagran® formulas and perineal skin cleansers.

    For more information, call (800) 328-2634.