Derma Sciences Inc. Targets Advanced Wound Care

One Company, Two Innovative Medical Treatments in Diabetic Foot Ulcers

The market for advanced wound care products is a large and growing one. Developing, manufacturing, and marketing new solutions in this area is a challenging endeavor, but one Princeton, NJ-based company has come to distinguish itself as a leader. Founded in 1984, Derma Sciences Inc. (DSCID.OB)  has now evolved into a prominent specialty medical device and pharmaceutical company with a dedicated focus on advanced wound care.

Derma Sciences has successfully launched several new novel advanced wound care products into the market over the past two years, and is well on its way in a Phase II study for the treatment of diabetic foot uclers.

Two of Derma Sciences’ most prominent product lines are targeted to people who sustain acute wounds or burns, and people with foot ulcers triggered by diabetes. The first group wants the fastest possible relief with as little scarring as possible, while the second group similarly desires a speedy healing process.  Now Derma is developing innovative treatments for both types of maladies.

For the first group of patients, Derma Sciences has developed MEDIHONEY®  dressings, a unique line of products containing active Leptospermum honey from New Zealand.  Derma, along with its partner Comvita New Zealand, Ltd, sells the products in all the major global markets.  The particular species of honey used in MEDIHONEY® has plant-derived components that make it an ideal dressing for wounds and burns.  The dressings have been shown to provide broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and anti-inflammatory activity, as well as to promote new tissue growth and keep wounds clean and free of odor.

And while MEDIHONEY has been shown to facilitate the healing of various chronic non-healing wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, Derma Sciences is also developing a drug that targets this and even broader markets:  a topical drug known as DSC127.  Researchers have learned that chronic wounds may be helped to heal by a component of our own bodies—mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).  As adults, these particular cells reside primarily in our bone marrow.  Yet DSC127 appears to stimulate these cells, activating their healing potential and doing away with the need for painful and expensive bone marrow extraction surgery.
   
“It appears that DSC127 directs MSCs to the injury site, mobilizing them to help repair wounded or burned skin, accelerate healing and reduce scar formation,” said Edward J. Quilty, Chairman & CEO of Derma Sciences. He added that the company is currently halfway through a 75-patient Phase II diabetic foot ulcer clinical trial being conducted at some of the nation’s top institutions.

In addition to these novel products, over the past several years Derma Sciences has accelerated its growth through private label and contract manufacturing partnerships with some of the largest distributors and wound and skin care product providers.  Derma has also committed itself to developing its advanced wound care product line.  For example, its BIOGUARD(TM) sales have made a significant impact since the product was launched in June.

About Derma Sciences
Derma Sciences is a specialty medical device / pharmaceutical company focusing on advanced wound care. Its key product, MEDIHONEY®, is sold throughout the world by Derma Sciences and Comvita New Zealand -- the licensor of the patented honey-based technology -- and is the leading brand of honey-based dressings for the management of wounds and burns. The product has been shown to be effective in a variety of wounds and burns, and was the focus of a positive large-scale randomized controlled trial on leg ulcers. BIOGUARD™ Barrier Dressing is the Company's latest new product entrant into the $14 billion global wound care market. Derma also has in development DSC127, a novel angiotensin analog for accelerated wound healing and scar reduction. Patient enrollment for a Phase II study began in Q4 of 2008. Primary endpoint results from this study are expected to be announced within Q3 of 2010.

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