PRESS RELEASE
23 january 1996
Effect of iodine in low concentrations
topic of wound-care conference

It is high time that myths about the dangers of iodine be put to rest. This is what the medical experts will be stressing at an international consensus conference to be held at the end of January 1996.
Chronic external wounds heal better if they are treated with iodine, albeit in low concentrations only.
Iodine in excessive concentrations is deleterious, whereas, according to scientific studies, in low concentrations it will enhance the healing process better than conventional treatments.

Perstorp Pharma is a pharmaceutical company located in Lund, Sweden, that has developed two unique wound-care product called Iodosorb and Iodoflex for treating chronic external wounds. The sole distributor in the United States, Healthpoint Medical; is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of over-the-counter drugs, prescription pharmaceuticals and medical devices for wound care. Founded in 1992, Healthpoint is a division of DPT Laboratories Inc. located in San Antonio, TX. DPT Laboratories was founded in 1937 and is a privately held developer and manufacturer of ethical and OTC dermatological products that has grown to become a leader in the development and manufacturing of a wide range of pharmaceutical products with an impressive array of clients.
The iodine within Iodosorb and Iodoflex is retained by the molecular structure of a modified starch base (cadexomer) and subsequently forced out as the starch molecules swell in contact with exudate to form a gel. The low concentration of the dispensed iodine (0.9 percent) kills microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi, while leaving healthy tissue unaffected. The wound-care product is primarily used in the treatment of wet ulcers such as venous stasis ulcers, pressure sores, and infected traumatic and surgical wounds.
Doctor and Dermatologist Vincent Falanga, a specialist in the healing of wounds from the Miami School of Medicine, has accumulated clinical experience in the treatment of wounds with Iodosorb. He has written a book about his work, Leg and Foot Ulcers, a Clinician’s Guide. At the consensus conference taking place in Oxford, he will be speaking about his clinical experience.
“We have seen that this wound treatment works well on ulcers that refuse to heal. Moreover, pressure eczema and irritation around the ulcer does not occur, as is the case with other types of wound treatment,” says Dr. Falanga.
In the United States, the use of iodine in the treatment of wounds is quite controversial.
“It’s true that iodine in conventional concentrations kills cells and might even be fatal to the patient, if it is used as in early days in internal operations,” acknowledges Jeanette Sundberg, the Swedish medical head at Perstorp Pharma. “That’s why it’s so important that the concentrate be such that only the pathogens in the wound are eliminated without affecting granulation tissue."
A study of leg ulcers at the Sahlgrenska hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, demonstrated that patients who were treated with Iodosorb compresses displayed an improved healing process. The wounds dried up better, and the iodine also contributed to the generation of more new blood vessels in the ulcerous area, which accelerated the healing process.
The conventional attitude in the United States, and in several European countries, concerning the use of iodine stimulated the British wound-care expert George Cherry to organize an international consensus conference in Oxford at the end of January. The two-day conference is being arranged by the European Tissue Repair Society (ETRS).
The purpose of the conference will be to discuss iodine and its role in wound-care therapy and to show that iodine in combination with cadexomer is likely to improve the healing process./ins

For further information, please contact
Anders Holmgren
Perstorp Pharma, Perstorp AB
IDEON
S-223 70 Lund, Sweden
Phone +46 (46) 18 55 10
Fax +46 (46) 13 76 70

or distributor in the United States

Paul Duesterhoft
Healthpoint Medical
2400 Handley-Ederville Rd.
Fort Worth, TX 76118
Phone 817.595.0394
800.441.8227
Fax 817.595.0921


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PRESS RELEASE
23 january 1996

Low-dose iodine treatment
accepted at wound care meeting

It is time to kill off the myth of iodine´s toxicity, say some medical experts following an international symposium just held in Oxford. Iodine is effective for healing chronic wounds provided it is administred in low doses.

Experimental studies have shown a probability that iodine in low doses encourages the healing process, whereas excessive doses of iodine may have slowed the process.
Perstorp Pharma, a company based in Lund, Sweden, has developed a wound-care product, Iodoflex, for use mainly with chronic wounds. The iodine is encapsulated within a starch molecule, cadexomer, and is released when the starch swells and forms a gel on contact with the wound exudate. The low dose (0,9%) iodine kill micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but has a stimulating effect on cells involved in the wound healing process. This wound care product is intended mainly for the treatment of chronic wounds, leg ulcers, diabetic foot-ulcers, etc.
In the UK and many other European countries, there is a basic mistrust of using iodine for treating wounds.

"It is true that conventional iodine solutions will release large amounts of iodine over a short period of time which causes harm to wound cells" explains Jeanette Sundberg, head of medicine at Perstorp Pharma. "It is therefore very important the release of iodine is slow and evenly distributed over time."
A multi-centre leg ulcer study in several European countries showed that patients treated with Iodoflex experienced better healing. The wounds stopped exudating more quickly and the iodine also assisted in faster skin formation, which promotes healing.
The controversial attitude to the use of iodine in many European countries and in the USA led a UK expert, George Cherry, to recently call an international symposium in Oxford. The two day meeting was arranged under the auspices of the European Tissue Repair Society (ETRS).
The aim of the meeting was to discuss iodine and its role in wound therapy, and to illustrate the probability that iodine, as in cadexomer iodine , can improve wound healing.

For further information please contact:

Ian Shurville
Perstorp Pharma
Intec 2
Wade Road
BASINGSTOKE
Hampshire
RG24 8NE
Tel: 01256 477868
Tel: 01256 21508