PRINCETON, N.J., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Derma Sciences, Inc. , a specialty medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, today announced that it has successfully negotiated an additional three years on its current BIOGUARD(TM) licensing agreement with Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. . This contract extension results in a potential 8-year term for Derma Sciences' newest product entrant into the $14 billion global advanced wound care market. Additionally, Derma will now have expanded exclusivity to include the majority of remaining gauze-based products, including non-woven gauze dressings.
"Our initial sales, along with our recently announced Acute Care distribution agreement with Medline Industries, position us well to maximize sales of this important dressing," said Derma Sciences CEO Ed Quilty. "The expanded term and scope of the agreement will help to make this brand a key contributor to our overall success for years to come."
BIOGUARD(TM) is the first non-leaching antimicrobial dressing. It received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance in February, 2009 and Derma Sciences had its first commercial sale of the product in June 2009. The dressings serve as a barrier to infection, kill germs absorbed into the dressing, and do not interfere with tissue healing. The dressing's active agent maintains effectiveness even in the presence of large amounts of proteinaceous exudates. Being the only non-leaching antimicrobial dressing is an important distinction; other antimicrobial dressings rely on the release of chemicals to the wound bed that can impede the wound healing process, and potentially cause the formation of resistant strains. The technology within BIOGUARD(TM) dressings is protected by nine U.S. patents and patents pending and 24 foreign counterparts.
About Derma Sciences
Derma Sciences is a global manufacturer and marketer of advanced wound care products. Its key product, MEDIHONEY(R), 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. Derma also has in development DSC127, a novel pharmaceutical for accelerated wound healing and scar reduction. DSC127, an angiotensin analog, has shown positive healing results in multiple pre-clinical animal models. One possible mode of action of the drug is the up-regulation of mesenchymal stem cells at the wound site. Derma Science expects to announce the endpoint results from this study during Q3 of 2010.
Derma Sciences, Inc.
