V1: Pitocin is probably looking pretty good right now. I avoided it thinking that it is overused for convenience, but I certainly think it is called for at 42 weeks. I had problems with preterm labor, and every time we got a cold front or rain, I would go into labor. I thought it was interesting to find a charge for pitocin on my hospital bill when I had been in for preterm labor. I called the billing office immediately and told them either there was an error or they had a big problem on their hands. Needless to say, they corrected the charge immediately.<g> They had also double billed me one night for my room. Read that hospital bill!
By the way, I just found this information on a product competing with Seprafilm. You may know about it already.
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Company Press Release
Anika Therapeutics reports promising study results of
INCERT
WOBURN, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--June 30, 1997--
A Pre-Clinical Study Compares INCERT to Seprafilm
ANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC. (NASDAQ:ANIK) today announced pre-clinical study results
that were formally presented on Friday at a medical conference in Baltimore, on the latest trends in
post-surgical adhesions. Anika presented data from several studies, one of which compared the
efficacy of its INCERT product with Seprafilm, an adhesion prevention product currently marketed
by Genzyme Corporation.
INCERT is a patented, bioabsorbable, implantable sponge derived from cross-linked hyaluronic
acid and is designed to prevent post-surgical tissue adhesions. It is placed over the surgical site and
surrounding organs and tissues before a surgical incision is closed and functions as a physical barrier
to prevent internal tissue surfaces from sticking together.
Surgical adhesions represent a significant medical problem associated with many surgical
interventions. Adhesions occur as part of the natural healing process and can cause serious medical
complications such as bowel obstruction, infertility and compression or tethering of important internal
structures. The worldwide potential market for anti-adhesion products is estimated at approximately
$1 billion.
As reported by Jing-wen Kuo, Ph.D., Anika's vice president, technical and clinical affairs, a rabbit
study conducted by an independent third-party, demonstrated that INCERT significantly reduced
the number of adhesions formed after abdominal surgery in comparison to Seprafilm. Assessed three
weeks after surgery, the results demonstrated that 16 percent (2 out of 12) of the animals treated
with INCERT formed post-surgical adhesions, compared with a 50 percent adhesion rate (6 out of
12) of the animals tested with Seprafilm. All 12 untreated animals in a control group formed surgical
adhesions covering 80 to 100 percent of the surgical sites.
Additional pre-clinical results were presented by Anika, which included safety and efficacy data on
INCERT in other abdominal and gynecological animal models.
``Results from the INCERT pre-clinical studies are promising and support our claim that INCERT
may be more effective in preventing post-surgical adhesions,'' said J. Melville Engle, Anika's
president and chief executive officer. ``The comparative results indicate that INCERT may provide
an effective therapeutic alternative to other available products. Based on the results of these studies,
we plan to seek a co-development and marketing partner and will move INCERT into human
clinical trials for abdominal, gynecological and other important clinical applications.''
Anika Therapeutics, Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of technologically advanced
hyaluronic acid products for surgical and therapeutic medical applications. Anika has ISO 9001
approval for the manufacture of ORTHOVISC and AMVISC. The company's commercial product
portfolio includes: ORTHOVISC for the treatment of osteoarthritis; AMVISC to maintain eye shape
and protect delicate tissues during ophthalmic surgery; and HYVISC for the treatment of equine
osteoarthritis. Products under development include: INCERT for the prevention of surgical
adhesions and HA oligosaccharides for the treatment of cancer.
Recently Anika executed a multi-year manufacturing agreement to supply ORQUEST with
OSSIGEL, an injectable formulation of hyaluronic acid and basic fibroblast growth factor for the
acceleration of bone fracture healing.
Contact:
Anika Therapeutics, Inc. Pondel Parsons & Wilkinson
Sean Moran, C.F.O. Susan Klein (508) 358-4315
(617) 932-6616 Robert Whetstone (310) 207-9300
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