A Medical Device Daily

Advanced BioHealing (ABH; New York) reported that it has concluded the acquisition of the assets and rights associated with the advanced wound care products Dermagraft and TransCyte fromSmith & Nephew (S&N; London). Both products have been approved for marketing in the U.S. and other countries.

The transaction, whose financial terms were not disclosed, transfers to ABH the assets and rights relating to these products.

S&N acquired the Dermagraft and Transcyte assets from Advanced Tissue Sciences (San Diego), a company that went under in 2004 (Medical Device Daily, June 21, 2004).

“The addition of these two products provides us not only an immediate, predictable revenue base upon which to grow the company, but also an access point within the marketplace for our next generation products,” said Kevin Rakin, CEO of ABH. “Dermagraft and TransCyte complement our proprietary cell culture and tissue engineering technologies which have potential applications in multiple clinical indications.”

ABH said it immediately will begin the process of returning the La Jolla, California, manufacturing facility to operation, as well as establishing necessary commercial capabilities including building a sales force.

ABH said it anticipates the facility to be fully functional by 1Q07.

ABH was founded in 2003 by Dr. David Eisenbud, now president and COO, to commercialize a keratinocyte-based healing technology that is enabled by ABH's cell culture and tissue preservation techniques.

Dermagraft is indicated for use in the treatment of full-thickness diabetic foot ulcers. The product was approved for sale in the U.S. in 2001. It is also approved and marketed in a number of other countries.

A license for a form of Dermagraft has also been granted to Theregen (San Francisco) which has used it to develop its Anginera product, described as a “living patch of human cells” that is being used as a cardiovascular patch, adjunctive to coronary artery bypass grafting (MDD, May 12, 2006).

TransCyte is indicated for use as a temporary wound covering for surgically excised full-thickness and deep partial-thickness thermal burn wounds. It was approved for sale in the U.S. in 1999 and is also approved and marketed in a number of other countries.