Healthcare Industry News: Hydrogel
News Release - May 31, 2007
Derma Sciences Announces Preliminary Results of Study Involving Active Manuka Honey at European Wound Management Conference
PRINCETON, N.J.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Derma Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: DSCI ), a manufacturer and supplier of advanced wound care products, announced that the results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) using Active Manuka Honey in the treatment of chronic wounds was announced at the European Wound Management Association's annual conference held in Glasgow, Scotland. The complete findings of the study will be published in an international journal in Q4, 2007. Preliminary results were presented at the conference by the study's primary investigator, Georgina Gethin.The study, partially funded by a EUR 10,000 grant from the European Wound Management Association, was centered in Sligo, Ireland but was conducted in vascular centers, acute care hospitals, community hospitals and clinics throughout Ireland and involved more than 100 patients suffering from chronic - leg ulcerations. This study is notable for the fact that it is one of the largest completed RCTs investigating advanced wound care products where the control is also an advanced wound care product. The effects of Active Manuka Honey in the cleansing (debridement) and healing rates of wounds, as well as in antimicrobial activity were compared to the effects of a standard Hydrogel, both under compression, over a 12 week period. After the treatment period, it was determined that the group treated with honey experienced a higher rate of debridement, significantly faster healing, and reduced infection than in the group treated with the standard gel.
Speaking of the study, Derma Sciences' President and Chief Executive Officer Edward J. Quilty noted, "This was a tough study, since the investigator chose to look at leg ulcers, which typically are fairly well managed with compression. Others have found it difficult to show benefits - with statistical significance - above and beyond that of compression therapy. Added to this, the inclusion criteria for the study allowed only those wounds proven recalcitrant to standard compression therapy and with significant slough (dead tissue), making these wounds especially difficult to manage and at greater risk of infection. What we found particularly exciting about the results was the information about effectiveness of Active Manuka Honey on wounds with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is commonly termed a 'superbug', and has proven to be highly resistant to available antibiotic treatment. It is an alarming development and the medical community is aggressively searching for ways to confront this bacterial threat. Of the ten wounds that were affected with MRSA at the start of the study, seven of the wounds showed no presence of the bacteria after just 4 weeks of treatment. To see evidence like this of Active Manuka Honey's effectiveness in combating MRSA validates other published case studies and is very encouraging."
Barry J. Wolfenson, VP of Marketing & Business Development added, "It was exciting to see Georgina present her results in front of a packed lecture hall. Over the past two or three years, with multiple honey-based products available throughout Europe, the acceptance of these products has become commonplace. With regard to the trial, it's rare for advanced wound care products to be compared in an RCT format against other advanced wound care products - typically the control is saline soaked gauze - so this trial's results have been eagerly awaited. To show statistical significance in improved healing rates was a great result which should help characterize Active Manuka Honey as more than just another topical antimicrobial. It was interesting that, at one of the sessions of the conference, it was noted that purchases of silver dressings (about $50 million) have become alarming since there are so few randomized controlled studies incorporating silver, and there are growing concerns about toxicity and resistance issues. This view, along with the growing evidence base for the use of honey in wound healing, positions honey-based products for significant increases in market share." Annual purchases of honey-based wound dressings in the UK are about 10% that of silver dressings. The US market for silver dressings is currently estimated to be slightly over $100 million.
Honey has been used for centuries for wound healing applications, and was used fairly regularly until the invention of penicillin. When issues of antimicrobial resistance started to become significant, the wound care community began to look at topical antimicrobials as alternatives to manage bioburden. This has led to the widespread adoption of silver as a topical antimicrobial, and has renewed interest in honey. Most honeys produce hydrogen peroxide upon dilution, resulting in antimicrobial activity. However, for most honeys, all of this hydrogen peroxide is converted to oxygen and water upon contact with catalase - an enzyme found in wound fluid - greatly diminishing the antimicrobial activity. Active Manuka Honey is distinguishable in that it is one of the few species of honey found to maintain a significant level of antimicrobial activity even after the presence of catalase. This has made it the most studied honey for wound healing and antimicrobial activity.
In 2006, Derma Sciences entered into an exclusive marketing and manufacturing agreement with Comvita, Ltd, a publicly traded company from New Zealand. Comvita controls over 70% of the flow of Manuka Honey, and owns several patents around the use of honey in wound dressings. The terms of the agreement between the two companies gives Derma Sciences exclusive marketing rights for these dressings in North, South and Central America.
About Derma Sciences, Inc. Derma Sciences, Inc. provides a full range of advanced wound care, traditional wound care, skin care, and specialty securement devices that are used primarily in the professional markets, specifically hospitals, out-patient wound care clinics, nursing homes and home care settings. The company has recently licensed several novel advanced wound care technologies which they hope to begin selling within 2007. For more additional information, visit Derma Sciences' website: http://www.dermasciences.com.
For Details, Contact: Edward J. Quilty, President & CEO at 609-514-4744 or email at equilty@dermasciences.com.
Forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained in this release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may", "will", "to", "expect", "plan", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "could", "would", "estimate", and/or "continue" or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology is intended to identify forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks that are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which may be accessed at the SEC's Edgar System at www.sec.gov. The signing of an exclusive license agreement with Derma Sciences, Inc. should not be construed by any means as an indication of the present or future value of the Company or its common stock. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake, and it specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any forward looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.
Source: Derma Sciences
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