BREAKING NEWS
HEALTHPOINT, Ltd, Fort Worth, TX, has signed an exclusive, worldwide agreement with COOK Biotech, Inc, West Lafayette, IN, to market COOK's patented wound matrix product, Oasis. Based on COOK's breakthrough small intestinal submucosa (SIS) technology, Oasis is a natural, extracellular matrix used to manage a variety of wounds by providing an environment that allows the body to heal itself.
Under the agreement, HEALTHPOINT will initially market Oasis in the United States and shortly thereafter in Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Arrangements for HEALTHPOINT's marketing of Oasis in Europe and beyond are also currently in process. COOK Biotech will continue to manufacture the product. The term of the agreement is 20 years and HEALTHPOINT will have the option to extend the term.
Oasis can be used in the management of partial- and full-thickness skin loss injuries, such as pressure and venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, surgical and trauma wounds, partial-thickness burns, abrasions, and autograft donor sites.
LAM Pharmaceutical Corporation, Lewiston, NY, has received permission from the Food and Drug Administration to market its proprietary, patented wound product, LAM IPM Wound Gel, which is classified as a hydrogel.
For over-the-counter use, LAM IPM Wound Gel is suitable for minor abrasions and cuts. Under the supervision of a health care professional, LAM IPM Wound Gel is suitable for exuding wounds such as leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, and diabetic ulcers and management of mechanically or surgically debrided wounds. It should not be administered to patients with known hypersensitivity to this product or to avian proteins.
PRODUCTS
A jury in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, found in favor of HEALTHPOINT, Ltd, Fort Worth, TX, and against Stratus Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Miami, FL. According to the verdict, Stratus falsely purported its products Kovia and Ziox to be bioequivalent, therapeutic equivalents, or generic equivalents to HEALTHPOINT's tissue management products Accuzyme and Panafil, respectively. Accuzyme is an enzymatic debriding ointment used to treat wounds, pressure ulcers, and burns by removing dead tissue without harming living tissue. Panafil promotes healing in similar wounds. HEALTHPOINT was awarded $3 million in compensatory and additional damages.
ExcellaDerm Corporation, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, has debuted its EPISCAN Imaging Ultrasound, a portable ultrasound skin imaging system that can show irregularities and growths before they appear on the surface. The EPISCAN images the skin at high resolution and with great clarity up to 30 mm (1 1/2 inches) of subdermal tissue. This will enable practitioners to visualize and monitor skin disorders and traumas without the need for invasive biopsies. Popular usage includes detecting pressure ulcers as they are developing and preoperative and postoperative assessment. ExcellaDerm will begin marketing this system through an agreement with Longport, Inc, Swarthmore, PA, the developer and owner of the technology.
WOUND CARE EDUCATION
The first academic program of its kind for wound care, the Program for the Advancement of Chronic Wound Care at the Yale School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, is a collaboration of Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and ConvaTec, Skillman, NJ, the company's ostomy and wound care products business. The program, planned for development over the next 3 years, represents a $1 million investment from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and ConvaTec.
The program is designed to investigate the best protocols of care, from both a clinical and economic perspective, for chronic wounds. It is expected that the results will be influential in driving policy makers to adopt those protocols to benefit patients and reduce cost of care.
Courtney Lyder, ND, GNP, Director of Yale School of Nursing's Adult, Family Gerontological and Women's Health Division, will direct the new wound care program. Dr Lyder is widely known for his work as an educator, researcher, and practitioner in wound care and minority aging.
One of the first initiatives of the program will be to invite 3 major academic centers in diverse geographic locations in the United States to participate in a 1-year, 600-subject prospective study on best protocols of care for chronic wounds. Senior investigators from participating centers will gather major literature on best practices and design the study to compare these protocols to current practice. The study will also address the issue of cost, another approach that will help practitioners and reimbursement sources adopt new best practices established by the study.