NEW WOUND CARE PRODUCT

Long-term diabetes can lead to foot ulcers—stubborn, hard-to-heal wounds and open sores on the feet. Without proper treatment, these lesions can require amputation—and diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputations in the United States today.

There have been only a handful of alternatives to amputation in such a case. Now there is one more. Advanced Tissue Sciences, and Smith & Nephew, plc, announce Dermagraft, a bioengineered product that contains cultured (lab-grown) human dermal material, proteins, and growth factors. Applied to the wound, this material proliferates, generating new human dermal tissue.

Implanted by the physician, Dermagraft builds up a normal healthy dermis, closing the wound completely. Dermagraft has been shown to heal more ulcers, faster than standard treatment.

Already available in England and Canada, Dermagraft is currently in clinical tests, as mandated by the Food and Drug Administration. Upon successful completion of these tests, it should become available in the United States.

We will carry the news of Dermagraft's availability as soon as we get the word. For more information, have your physician contact: Dermagraft Joint Venture, 10933 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037-1005; telephone: (619) 404-0148.