Avita Medical Highlights Recell Findings Published In Journal Of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery

NORTHRIDGE, CA and CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - October 21, 2015) - Avita Medical Ltd. (ASX: AVH), (OTCQX: AVMXY), a medical device company specializing in the treatment of wounds and skin defects, today announced results from a series of cases using ReCell® showing clinically significant improvements in the aesthetic outcomes of repaired complex facial defects resulting from surgical removal of non-melanocytic skin cancers (NMSC). The report was published online in the Journal of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, and is currently in press for publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal.

Surgeons often face challenges balancing functional needs with patient’s aesthetic standards when repairing the facial region following surgical removal of NMSC, which frequently results in extensive tissue loss requiring a plastic surgery technique called a free flap. Harvesting ‘remote free flaps’ of skin along with subcutaneous tissue from other parts of the body and transferring them to the recipient region often results in mismatched skin color, volume and elasticity, all of which dramatically impair the facial appearance.

In the series, titled “Surface-optimized free flaps for complex facial defects after skin cancer” by Kesting, M.R. et al,(1) researchers identified a series of four patients for whom NMSC defects were reconstructed using remote free flaps, followed by secondary correction of the flap surface by de-epithelialization and application of Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES™) produced using ReCell®. They found that the secondary procedure including RES™ improved the pigment, volume, texture and elasticity of free flaps in the facial region. Furthermore, all treated flap areas healed uneventfully and by 12 months after the secondary treatment, all patients presented with sufficient color and volumetric matching of the flaps and with healed donor sites.

“This series represents one of the many real-world aesthetic applications of our unique ReCell® technology,” commented Adam Kelliher, Chief Executive Officer of Avita Medical. “Cancer in the facial region can be severely debilitating and its removal can cause considerable loss of tissue, making reconstruction a delicate procedure. Positive outcomes from this study, demonstrating treatment using ReCell® significantly improves aesthetic outcomes of repaired complex facial defects, hold substantial promise for patients undergoing NMSC tumor removal and indicate the potential of RES™ to aesthetically improve a variety of other surgical reconstructions.”

Avita Medical’s proprietary ReCell® technology allows physicians to quickly create, at point of care, Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES™) using a small sample of the patient’s skin that can then be applied to the skin defect as treatment. The devices are typically used in conjunction with traditional methods.

REFERENCES
1. Kesting MR, et al., Surface-optimized free flaps for complex facial defects after skin cancer, Journal of CranioMaxillo-Facial
Surgery (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcms.2015.08.010

ABOUT RECELL® AND RES™
ReCell® is Avita Medical’s unique proprietary technology that enables a clinician to rapidly create, at point of care in approximately 30 minutes, Regenerative Epithelial Suspension (RES™) using a small sample of the patient’s skin. RES™ is an autologous suspension comprising the cells and wound healing factors necessary to regenerate natural, healthy skin. RES™ has a broad range of applications and can be used to restart healing in unresponsive wounds, to repair burns using less donor skin yet with improved functional and aesthetic outcomes, and to restore pigmentation and improve cosmesis of damaged skin.

ABOUT AVITA MEDICAL LIMITED
Avita Medical develops and distributes regenerative products for the treatment of a broad range of wounds, scars and skin defects. Avita’s patented and proprietary collection and application technology provides innovative treatment solutions derived from a patient’s own skin. The Company’s lead product, ReCell®, is used in the treatment of a wide variety of burns, plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic procedures. ReCell® is patented, CE-marked for Europe, TGA-registered in Australia, and CFDA-cleared in China. In the United States, ReCell® is an investigational device limited by federal law to investigational use. A pivotal U.S. trial is underway, with patient enrollment completion anticipated by the end of 2015. To learn more, visit www.avitamedical.com.