New Products/Industry News

Clinical trial affirms honey’s healing benefits for venous leg ulcers

     Medihoney™, Derma Science Inc’s (Princeton, NJ) Wound & Burn Dressing with Active Leptospermum Honey, was recently found in a large randomized and controlled clinical trial to significantly improve the healing rates of stalled venous leg ulcers. Before this study, no other advanced wound care dressing under compression therapy demonstrated improved healing rates of leg ulcers.

     In the 108-patient randomized and controlled clinical trial, venous leg ulcers that had been proven to be non-healing under standard treatment (compression therapy) were examined. Half of the patients had a common advanced wound care gel added to the standard treatment, while the other half of the patients had Active Leptospermum (Manuka Honey) added. After 4 weeks, the mean reduction in size of the wounds was 34% in the honey group and 13% in the control group. After 12 weeks, there was a 44% complete healing rate in the honey group compared to only 33% in the control group. Since the launch of the honey in Europe, the United States, and Canada, clinicians have consistently reported its effectiveness on stalled ulcers of various etiologies.

     For more information, visit www.dermasciences.com.

Wound care model educates patients and providers

     VATA, Inc. (Canby, Ore) provider of intravenous, infusion, and venipuncture training, offers realistic models such as the Seymour II™. Seymour is molded from a 74-year-old patient and looks and feels like the real thing. This model is an effective tool for educating healthcare professionals and patients in the identification, staging, and probable etiologies of wounds, as well as in the use of vacuum-assisted closure devices, dressings, and treatment plans. Some of the wound models represent Stage I to Stage IV pressure ulcers, undermining, tunneling, eschar, slough, exposed bone, tendons and ligaments, and suspected deep tissue injury.

     This model makes it possible to visualize and understand the differences in wounds. Once the different etiologies are understood, professionals can discuss and devise treatment plans that will deliver optimized patient care. Great care has been taken to color each wound just as it would be seen on a patient. The model offers the ability to demonstrate and practice wound cleansing, classification, staging, and assessment, as well as the measurement of wound length, depth, undermining, and tunneling.

     For more information, visit www.vatainc.com.

Company launches wound treatment product in China

     Oculus Innovative Sciences (Petaluma, Calif) will launch its Dermacyn® wound treatment products in China by sending samples of the product to hospitals in 10 China provinces. Dermacyn is a nonirritating, nonsensitizing, and no-rinse dermal wound care treatment for moistening absorbent wound dressings, debriding, and cleaning acute and chronic dermal lesions. Microcyn’s super oxygenated water keeps the wound moist and is effective against bacteria, viruses, mold and spores, including MRSA-resistant bacteria. One of the product’s main target markets is diabetic foot ulcers.

     Sinopharm (Shanghai, China) regulates China’s distribution of the product, which was approved in March 2008 to treat acute and chronic wounds including ulcers, cuts, contusions, and burns. While the US allows the product to be used as a wound cleaning aid, the pivotal Phase-III trial of the product as a treatment for infected wounds is just getting underway.

     For more information, visit www.oculusis.com/us/.