The world's first wound dressing with built-in pain medication
A medical breakthrough in the form of a dressing with built-in pain medication was launched today at London's Royal College of Physicians. As the world's first, the new type of dressing is able to reduce ongoing pain for people with chronic wounds, by delivering ibuprofen directly into the wound. Painful wounds that will not heal such as leg ulcers and pressure sores are a common but overlooked problem. With more than 10 million people in Europe affected during a lifetime, chronic wounds are almost twice as common as rheumatoid arthritis.
The new pain-reducing dressing called Biatain - Ibu was developed by Danish medical device manufacturer Coloplast. Precisely engineered but ingeniously simple, it absorbs and evaporates away large quantities of wound fluid. At the same time it slowly and constantly delivers low-dosage ibuprofen, one of the world's best proven pain-reducing drugs, directly into the wound, bypassing common side affects of oral pain-reducing drugs.
The dosage of ibuprofen in the pain-reducing dressing equals a quarter of a tablet. Clinical studies show a significant reduction of pain within a few hours after the dressing is applied. The sustained pain reducing effect of the dressing will last for up to 7 days. According to one study, patients were happier and more relaxed with the new kind of dressing, simply because they suffered less from ongoing pain.
A chronic wound is defined as a wound that does not heal within three months, but some people can have wounds that take years to heal. During this time the pain for many sufferers is almost unbearable and can lead to insomnia, reduced physical activity, isolation and depression.
Stephen Strang from Canada, a 61-years old executive, has had problems with wounds that will not heal for about a year. He was amazed at the amount of painkillers he took and would still be in pain. As a consequence he got drowsy and was worried that continued medication could cause problems for him. Biatain - Ibu has changed all that. "By the time I reached the door to leave the doctor's office, I had no pain," he says.
"This is a real breakthrough for countless people who are suffering needlessly from these wounds", says C. Richard Chapman, professor and director of the Pain Research Center at the University of Utah. A world known expert on pain, he urges the medical community at large to focus more attention on the suffering caused by chronic wounds.
Lesley Thorne, a British Tissue Viability Nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary describes the daily reality for chronic wound sufferers: "It is terrible for these patients. They are in such constant pain and agony and it doesn't matter what is done, it doesn't get any better."
Christine Moffatt, who is Professor of Nursing at Thames Valley University, London, and Director of the Centre for Research and Implementation of Clinical Practice, says: "The traditional tablets that patients take for pain simply don't help. It seems that this particular product is able to apply the actual pain-relieving agent to the area of the wound. It gets to the source of where the pain is and switches it off in the wound itself, and this seems to be very beneficial."
With the new pain-reducing dressing, Coloplast continues its tradition for developing medical devices and services that contribute to a better quality of life for the users.
The global market for moist wound healing amounts to approximately €1.9 billion per year.
The event today in London included speeches from world leading pain expert, Professor C. Richard Chapman, Mandy Leighton-Bellichach, President of the European Pain Network and Chairperson of the Society for Fighting Pain in Israel and Madeleine Flanagan, Principal Lecturer, Tissue Viability, University of Hertfordshire (see background information).
International Coloplast spokespeople:
Tina Hahn, Dr., International Medical Outcome Manager
Marie-Louise Haxthausen, International Brand Manager