Findings published in the
Pilot Study in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Finds That Derma Sciences’ MEDIHONEY® Reduces Hospital Stays in the U.K.
Barry J. Wolfenson, 609-514-4744Executive Vice President, Global Marketing and DevelopmentorKim Sutton Golodetz, 212-838-3777orBruce Voss, 310-691-7100@LHA_IR_PRorMackenzie Mills, 212-838-3777
Derma Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: DSCI), a medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, today reported an independent pilot study conducted in the U.K. showed that MEDIHONEY® may reduce the length of hospital stays by encouraging more rapid healing. The study, entitled “Randomised controlled feasibility trial on the use of medical grade honey following microvascular free tissue transfer to reduce the incidence of wound infection,” was conducted by Dr. Val Robson, RGN, B.Sc (Hons) Dip HE, Clinical Nurse Specialist Leg Ulcer Care, and colleagues from University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, U.K. The article was published in the in June 2012.
The study found that in 49 patients randomized to receive MEDIHONEY or standard dressings following microvascular free tissue reconstruction for cancer of the head and neck, the median duration of hospital stay was 12 days in the MEDIHONEY group (n=25), compared with a median of 18 days in the control group (n=24) (p<0.05). MEDIHONEY, which has the CE Mark in the E.U. and is sold in the U.K. and Europe via six direct sales representatives and a network of distributors, respectively, was provided by Derma Sciences Europe Ltd.
Commenting on the study, investigator and author Dr. Val Robson said, “We have used medical honey successfully on chronic wounds for over a decade. The in-vitro evidence is available to show that honey eradicates wound infecting organisms and this new piece of research has shown that honey can be used on wounds healing by first intention to help prevent surgical site infection.”
“MEDIHONEY has been the subject of numerous positive independent studies in a number of countries, and we are pleased to add yet another to the growing body of knowledge of the utility of our proprietary, innovative dressing in multiple care settings,” commented Edward J. Quilty, chief executive officer of Derma Sciences. “As healthcare practice becomes more and more subject to cost constraints, a reduction in hospital stay is vitally important. ”
The abstract of the study may be found on line at .
Derma Sciences is a medical technology company focused on three segments of the wound care marketplace: pharmaceutical wound care products, advanced wound care dressings and traditional dressings. Derma Sciences has successfully completed a Phase 2 clinical trial in diabetic foot ulcer healing with DSC127, an investigational pharmaceutical drug under development for accelerated wound healing and scar reduction, and is preparing to begin Phase 3 clinical trials. Its MEDIHONEY® product 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 indications, and was the focus of a positive large-scale, randomized controlled trial involving 108 subjects with leg ulcers. Other novel products introduced into the $14 billion global wound care market include XTRASORB® for better management of wound exudate, BIOGUARD® for infection prevention and TCC-EZ™, a gold-standard treatment for diabetic foot ulcers.
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