Application of Fish Skin to Open Wounds Improves Healing

BREMEN, GERMANY--(Marketwired - May 6, 2016) - Kerecis, the company using Omega3-rich fish skin to heal human wounds and tissue damage, will present results of human and laboratory trials at the European Wound Management Symposium (EWMA) May 11-13 at the Bremen Messe in Germany. Kerecis is exhibiting in Booth 1A 05. 

In one trial, the fish-skin treatment resulted in a 39 percent reduction in the use of antibiotics. Another trial showed superior cell ingrowth using the fish-skin treatment compared to the leading human-amnion-membrane products used in wound treatment.

The problem of chronic wounds continues to grow globally with the increase in diabetics, obesity and age. It is estimated that 25 to 50 percent of acute hospital beds in Europe are occupied by patients with at least one wound. Germany has four million chronic wounds per year; 30 000 of them require amputation, depriving many people of mobility. The average cost of a leg wound in Europe is EUR 6.650 and accounts for 2 to 4 percent of the total health care budget. It's logical that these costs will increase significantly in the coming years if no action is taken.

About 6,000 medical professionals attend the annual EWMA conference, which will feature more than 1,000 scientific presentations on wound treatment and amputation prevention.

Kerecis Omega3 is intact fish skin that is rich in naturally occurring Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and is used to regenerate damaged human tissue. When grafted onto damaged human tissue, such as a diabetic ulcer, the acellular 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. The fish skin structure resembles the native structure of human skin. 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. The Kerecis product is available in several European countries, including Germany, Iceland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Wounds in Europe are largely treated with second-generation wound-treatment products such as polyurethane foam and hydrocolloids. "We intend to lead the transition to third-generation biologic products, which have been routinely used in the U.S. for years, and are now making their inroads into Europe," said G. Fertram Sigurjonsson, CEO of Kerecis. "Our scientific results show that our technology can help improve care and reduce amputations. We will present the results of eight trials and tests at the conference that strengthen the scientific positioning of our product and help bring this new technology into mainstream use, potentially reducing the number of amputations," he added.

During EWMA, Dr. John Lantis of Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City) will present the following two trial results:

• "Successful Healing of 20 Chronic Wounds With Acellular Fish Skin Graft, A Case Report With Wound Area Measurements" on Screen 1 on Wednesday, May 11, 12 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
• "Superior Three-Dimensional Cell Ingrowth in Acellular Fish Skin Graft Compared to Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane" in Room 1 on Thursday, May 12, 10 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

The following poster abstracts, which contain trial results for the Kerecis Omega3 technology, will also be presented on the conference:

• 87% of Wounds Improved or Healed after 4 Weeks of Treatment with Acellular Fish Skin: A Retrospective Study on 68 Wounds -- poster EP170
• Superior Three-Dimensional Cell Ingrowth in Acellular Fish Skin Compared to Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane -- poster OP085
• Acellular Fish Skin Grafts Act as a Barrier to Bacterial Invasion for Over 48 Hours in a Two Chamber Model -- poster EP159
• Successful Healing of 20 Chronic Wounds with Acellular Fish Skin, a Case Report with Wound Area Measurements: Case Study -- poster EP016
• 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 EP017
• The Effect of Debridement Frequency on the Outcomes of 18 Cases of Lower Extremity Wounds Treated with a Fish Skin Extracellular Matrix -- poster EP052

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.