High-Impact Trial Results of Fish Skin Wound Treatment to Be Presented at SAWC Conference

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Apr 14, 2016) - Kerecis, the company using fish skin to heal human wounds and tissue damage, will present multiple human and laboratory trial results at the Symposium for the Advancement of Wound Care (SAWC) held April 14 - 18 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. These results include a 68-patient trial where 87 percent of patients healed after four weeks of treatment, with a 39 percent reduction in the need for antibiotics. Kerecis will also present results from trials performed in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research. Kerecis is exhibiting in Booth 1047. 

Kerecis Omega3, an innovative treatment available across the U.S., is intact fish skin that is rich in naturally occurring Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. This acellular material is used to regenerate damaged human tissue. When grafted onto damaged human tissue, such as a diabetic ulcer, the Kerecis material recruits the body's cells from the wound perimeter. These cells are then incorporated into the fish skin, which is ultimately converted into functional, living tissue. Studies have shown that cells and stem cells proliferate faster in this structure than in other materials such amnion membrane and other mammalian-sourced materials.

"Last year, there were more than 100,000 chronic wound-related amputations in the US -- depriving a large group of people of mobility. Current biologic remedies such as human amnion products and animal-derived xenografts have improved the standard of care, but amputations are still far too common. Our scientific results indicate that our technology can be an important addition to the improvement of care," said G. Fertram Sigurjonsson, CEO of Kerecis. "We will present seven important poster abstracts that strengthen the scientific positioning of our product and bring this new technology closer to mainstream use -- while also potentially reducing the number of amputations nationwide," he added.

During SAWC, Kerecis will sponsor a breakfast symposium where leading wound specialists John C. Lantis and Christopher Winters will discuss the "Clinical Applications and Expected Outcome of Omega3-containing Fish Skin." The symposium will take place Friday, April 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

The following poster abstracts at SAWC contain trial results for the Kerecis Omega3 technology

• 87% of Wounds Improved or Healed after 4 Weeks of Treatment with Acellular Fish Skin -- A Retrospective Study on 68 Wounds -- poster CS-024
• Superior Three-Dimensional Cell Ingrowth in Acellular Fish Skin Compared to Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane -- poster LB-030
• Acellular Fish Skin Grafts Act as a Barrier to Bacterial Invasion for Over 48 Hours in a Two Chamber Model -- poster LB-029
• Successful Healing of 20 Chronic Wounds with Acellular Fish Skin -- Case Study -- poster CS-192
• Hemostatic Properties of Acellular Fish Skin for Acute Wound Care -- poster LB-028
• A Prospective, Single-center, Non-blinded, Non-comparative, Post-market Compassionate Clinical Evaluation of a Novel Acellular Fish Skin Graft for the Closure of Diabetic Foot Wounds that have Undergone Bone and Soft Tissue Resection for Acute Infection -- poster CR-014
• The Effect of Debridement Frequency on the Outcomes of 18 Cases of Lower Extremity Wounds Treated with a Fish Skin Extracellular Matrix -- poster CR-018

About Kerecis
Kerecis develops regenerative technologies based on fish skin and Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The initial Kerecis product, Kerecis Omega3 Wound, has been approved by the FDA and European regulatory authorities for wound healing. The technology is patented in the United States and multiple other countries. The Kerecis wound-healing product has a Medicare "Q" code (Q4158), allowing it to be easily identified and processed by Medicare and private insurance companies.

Production takes place in the Kerecis manufacturing facilities in Iceland. For more information, visit www.kerecis.com. Distributor inquiries are welcome.