New Dressing Debrides Burn Tissue

Debrase gel Dressing (DGD), under development by MediWound (Yavneh, Israel), is a debriding agent that swiftly and selectively removes the eschar layer from burn tissue by means of enzymatic action, initiating the healing process of the wound. Debrase is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes extracted from the stem of the pineapple plant that have a high specificity and selectivity in the digestion of necrotic human skin tissue. DGD includes two components: a vial containing a freeze-dried sterile mixture of proteolytic enzymes and a bottle containing sterile medical gel into which the mixture is added and mixed right before use.

In most cases four hours after a single application the necrotic tissue converts into a gelatinous form and can be wiped away leaving an exposed diagnosable clean bed.
The debrided bed preserves much of its dermal components and can epithelialize spontaneously. Usually, only the area of the larger, full thickness burn needs be grafted, greatly reducing the need for traumatic surgical procedures such as debridement and skin graft harvesting, and the patients' recovery is fast and benign.

MediWound is currently carrying out a comprehensive controlled phase II/b clinical trial in the United States, and a phase III clinical trial in 19 centers in Europe and Israel towards approval for marketing in Europe. The company expects CE approval to be granted during 2007.

According to Prof. Marian Gorecki, chief executive officer of MediWound, the technology at the heart of DGD answers the pivotal need to selectively remove damaged tissues and eliminate the need for unnecessary excision of healthy tissue. This ability spares patients significant suffering involved in surgery, expedites the burn's healing, and eliminates needless scaring and substantial skin graft harvesting.



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