ISAFJORDUR, ICELAND and REYKJAVIK, ICELAND--(Marketwired - Mar 23, 2015) - Kerecis, the company using fish skin to heal human wounds and tissue damage, today announced it has received the Annual Innovation through Knowledge Award from the Icelandic Association of Economists and Business Graduates. The President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, presented the award at the Association's annual Innovation through Knowledge Day.
Candidates for this year's award were companies that have demonstrated leadership by expanding the use of natural resources in an environmentally sustainable way. Other finalists were the plant-genetic-engineering company Orf Genetics, and the emission-to-methanol company Carbon Recycling.
The Kerecis patented technology is acellular, intact, fish-skin grafts that are applied to heal damaged human tissue and skin. When grafted onto damaged tissue, the Kerecis Omega3 products recruit the body's own cells, which are then incorporated into the damaged area and ultimately are converted into functional, living tissue.
Statements
"Kerecis was started five years ago on the idea of healing human skin with fish skin. We identified Omega3-rich fish skin as a very suitable material, and have developed and gathered significant information about fish skin and its application to heal human tissue. We believe this knowledge will lead to unique products that will meet unsolved clinical needs. We are proud that our efforts have been recognized by the Icelandic Association of Economists and Business Graduates," said G. Fertram Sigurjonsson, President and CEO, Kerecis Limited.
"Kerecis is a great knowledge-driven company that has developed a valuable product made from a largely unused natural resource, a by-product of the food industry. The pioneering company has developed and received regulatory clearance for a valuable medical product that can save people's lives," said Dögg Hjaltalin, President of the Icelandic Association of Economists and Business Graduates.
About Kerecis
Kerecis develops Omega3-rich, acellular, fish-skin grafts for wound healing and tissue regeneration. Acellular grafts, also referred to as acellular dermal matrices or ADM materials, are human or animal tissue where the original material is intact, but all cells and antigenic materials have been removed. The Kerecis fish-skin material accelerates wound healing and enables tissue reconstruction.
The initial Kerecis product has already been approved by the FDA and European regulatory authorities for wound healing. The material offers advantages over existing human- and porcine-derived products, including improved manufacturing economics and a lower risk of disease transfer. Since it is derived from fish, the material is both kosher and halal compatible, eliminating cultural and religious constraints on usage, with equivalent or better clinical performance than alternative approaches.
The Kerecis technology has received U.S. patents, and has patents pending in multiple countries around the world. On January 1, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded a "Q" code (Q4158) to the Kerecis wound-healing product, 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.
About the Association of Economists and Business Graduates in Iceland
The Association of Economists and Business Graduates in Iceland (FVH) traces its roots back to 1938 and currently serves most business administration and economic graduates in Iceland. For more information contact fvh@fvh.is.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Kay Paumier
Communications Plus
408-370-1243
