LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - ConvaTec's Aquacel Ag Advantage dressing, which helps treat non-healing wounds, has been given the nod by the US medical regulator.
The antimicrobial dressing has demonstrated substantial wound improvements, even in wounds of a high severity, under both clinical studies and global practice. Chronic non-healing wounds, which the dressing can target, often lead to life-changing events such as limb amputations or premature death.

There are more than eight million US senior citizens with at least one type of wound or wound-related infection, recent figures from Medicare have shown, leading to an estimated annual cost of up to $96.8bn.

Randall Wolcott, medical director of the Southwest Regional Wound Care Center in Lubbock, Texas, said: "Delayed wound healing presents multiple challenges for clinicians, and places a heavy burden on patients, society and our healthcare systems. Moving these types of recalcitrant wounds from a deteriorating or stagnant state toward improvement requires novel, non-antibiotic strategies."

"I'm very excited about this new innovative dressing, which has shown significant potential to address this burden while not driving antibiotic resistance," said Wolcott.

The product is currently available in markets in Europe and Asia Pacific and, with the latest FDA approval, ConvaTec is targeting US commercial availability by early October.

Fiona Adam, interim president of advanced wound care at ConvaTec, said: "Customer feedback in markets outside the US has been very positive, and we look forward to introducing US clinicians to the latest addition to our Aquacel family, and continuing to help wound specialists around the world."

ConvaTec Group's shares were up 0.98% at 207.10p at 0924 BST.

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