New Products and Industry News

Company acquired

   Egan Group ( St. Louis, Mo.), the St. Louis-based medical device management services firm, announced it has completed its acquisition of Trademark Medical Inc., of Fenton, Mo. A manufacturer and distributor of unique medical products, Trademark addresses the needs of healthcare providers across the continuum of care, including the hospital, nursing home, surgery center, physician, clinic, government, and at-home segments. In light of the company's longstanding heritage and awareness within the industry, the business will operate under the name Trademark Medical LLC.

   The new management team slated to lead Trademark Medical includes Bob Egan and Peter DiGasbarro, co-founders of Egan Group. The team, previously executive leaders at the former Sherwood-Davis + Geck and management partners at an array of emerging companies, has extensive experience in the development, sales, and marketing of a broad range of medical device technologies.

   For more information, visit www.egangroup.com.

Company completes restructuring as it emerges from Chapter 11

   Organogenesis, Inc. (Canton, Mass.) recently announced the completion of its court-approved reorganization plan, allowing the company to emerge from Chapter 11 protection and continue manufacturing and supplying Apligraf, its bilayered skin substitute approved to heal venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers.

   Consistent with the terms of the plan, all outstanding common stock, preferred stock, and other equity interests in the company have been cancelled and new shares of the reorganized common stock have been issued. A new board of directors also has been appointed.

   The company has used its time under Chapter 11 protection to restructure its business. Under the supervision of the court, the company discharged all pre-petition claims, reduced costs, and renegotiated its relationship with Novartis Pharma AG, the former distributor of Apligraf. As a result, the company now holds an exclusive license to use the trademark and the exclusive right to market and distribute the product. The company was the first to develop and gain FDA approval for a mass-produced product containing living human cells. Apligraf, the company's principal product, has received FDA approval for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers.

Technology partnership forged

   Advanced Medical Solutions Group (AMS, Winsford, UK) and Puritan Medical Products Company LLC (Guilford, Maine) formed a technology partnership that will give AMS an exclusive license for Puritan's popule delivery system. AMS will combine this delivery system with its own cyanoacrylate medical adhesive to create products that offer controlled application of liquid film to use to protect skin from breakdown and to treat minor wounds in the professional wound care, consumer, and sports markets.

   Puritan will be responsible for filling into their popule delivery system, AMS's proprietary cyanoacrylate medical adhesive, and AMS will have exclusive worldwide distribution rights except in the US where Puritan will also be able to distribute the products into the professional wound care market under its brand. Distribution into the professional market is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2003.

   For more information, visit www.puritanmedproducts.com.

Products address challenges of heel dressing changes

   3M Health Care (St. Paul, Minn.) offers the new 3M™ Foam Adhesive Dressing- Heel Design, a delivery system that enables the caregiver to apply a heel dressing with one hand. In addition, no scissors are required for cutting, shaping, or darting because the dressing conforms to the contours of the heel. The product features the company's Total Fluid Management - fast wicking, high absorbency, and high evaporation - which translates into fewer dressing changes. Like others in the company's Foam Adhesive Dressing line, the dressing is designed to perform under both dry and moist conditions. Overall, the dressing saves time, reduces wasted dressings, and raises staff confidence that no complications will occur before the next dressing change.

   The new dressing is available in several shapes (oval and square) and sizes, including a 4" x 24" roll.

   For more information, call (800) 228-3957 or visit www.3M.com/healthcare.

New heel dressing utilizes vacuum-assisted therapy

   Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI, San Antonio, Tex.), launched VAC® Therapy GranuFoam™ Heel Dressing. The new product uses the company's Vacuum Assisted Closure® (VAC®) Therapy, which can provide clinical and cost-effective treatment through the use of negative pressure wound therapy to help treat chronic and traumatic wounds in hospitals, extended care facilities, and the home.

    The heel dressing is used in conjunction with the VAC® ^ATS Therapy System and the VAC® ^Freedom™ Therapy System. Specifically designed for heel wounds, the new system uses contour foam and dressings that fit the shape of the typical foot for optimum use of negative pressure wound therapy. Benefits include integrated drape design for easier application, assistance for granulation tissue, and a Therapeutic Regulated Accurate Care™ (TRAC™) Pad bridge located on top of the foot for patient comfort and faster dressing changes. The new dressing creates a seal that allows reticulated cells (open pores) to evenly distribute negative pressure therapy across the wound bed. Hydrophobic (non-absorbent) dressing material enhances exudate removal to help promote wound healing.

   For more information, visit www.woundvac.com. 

Gauze sponge products and educational programs available

   Medline Industries, Inc, (Mundelein, Ill.) is expanding its wound care line with new gauze sponge products to join its already comprehensive line of traditional and advanced wound care products. The new premium line of non-woven sponges includes "Avant Deluxe®" and a cotton and polyester blended gauze sponge called "Accu Sorb®."

   The two products that will help fill a void left by market leader Johnson and Johnson Wound Management (a division of Ethicon Inc.), which has announced plans to phase out production and marketing of selected general wound care product lines to the healthcare marketplace, including eye pads, sponges, gauze pads, tapes and cleaners, according to a letter to its distributors (eg, Medline).

   Accu Sorb combines the best qualities of cotton sponges (debridement) and non-woven sponges (absorbency and less linting) into one product. Made from a blend of cotton and rayon, the new product is available in sterile and non-sterile forms.

   Avant Deluxe non-woven sponges are made up of a unique rayon and polyester blend to provide strength and absorbency. The increased material weight helps reduce the number of sponges used for each procedure and provides increased wicking ability as well as less lint versus traditional woven sponges. The new sponges are available sterile and non-sterile.

   To support products and customer needs, the company offers a range of services including a toll-free hotline called Educare that is supervised by board-certified ET/WOC nurses, as well as educational seminars given in cities across the country. More than 50 wound care specialists are devoted to supplying customers with wound care products, service, and educational support.

   For more information, visit www.medline.com.