Polymer Technology Group (PTG) in-licenses bioresorbable polymers from Bezwada Biomedical

Ronald Trahan Associates Inc. Ronald Trahan, 508-359-4005, x108 APR The Polymer Technology Group, Inc. (www.polymertech.com), a preeminent biomaterials company, announced today that it has in-licensed a family of bioresorbable polymers from Hillsborough, N.J.-based Bezwada Biomedical L.L.C., whose founder and president, Rao Bezwada, Ph.D., will also serve as a consultant to PTG. Terms of the agreement
were not disclosed. Polymers specifically designed to degrade under physiological conditions are often referred to as "absorbable", "biodegradable" or "bioresorbable" polymers. With this in-licensing event, PTG will now be able to offer a wider range of new and generic bioresorbable polymers to the medtech industry for use in medical devices, drug delivery and tissue engineering. "We are very happy to be working with Dr. Bezwada, who has more than 25 years of research experience in the medical device industry, including 20 years of service at Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson) prior to establishing Bezwada Biomedical in 2003," said Bob Ward, CEO of PTG. "He has been a prolific inventor (72 issued U.S. patents), has published extensively and presented frequently at both national and international meetings, including the American Chemical Society and the Society for Biomaterials," added Ward. Ward and Dr. Bezwada will make a joint presentation--"A vertically integrated approach for tailoring bioresorbable polymers: from monomers to implantable devices"--at a "Corporate Lunch Forum" on Friday, May 30th, during the upcoming 8th World Biomaterials Congress (May 28-June 1) in Amsterdam.

The polymers will find applications in:

• Minimally invasive surgery as absorbable tissue adhesive and sealant


• Drug delivery and wound care


• Medical devices
  
• Tissue engineering

Arista - indicated in surgical procedures EXCEPT neurological, ophthalmic, and urological

The FDA has announced the approval to market Arista™ AH Absorbable Hemostat, a device from Minneapolis, MN based Medafor, Inc. Have you ever heard of absorbable hemostat? Turns out the device is not a surgical instrument, but rather a polysaccharide material, manufactured from potato starch, that promotes local clot formation.
Here's how the company explains its technology that might be useful for multiple specialities, from trauma to ophthalmic, and urological procedures.
MPH® (Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres) represents a new process for effecting almost instantaneous hemostasis at wound sites, even in the presence of profuse bleeding. The technology consists of an engineered biopolymeric, microporous particle, with a controlled pore size, which is designed to act as a sieve to dehydrate the blood and thus serve to accelerate the natural clotting process.
Using this technology, clotting has been demonstrated to initiate within as little as 30 seconds to one minute, compared to as much as 30 minutes required by traditional hemostats. Applied topically, MPH gels rapidly with no tissue irritation, creating a protected environment for hemostasis and healing.
The particles, or beads, are derived from plant-based biomaterials with an extensive history of use in humans. The final packaged material is stable, bio-compatible and sterile.

Arista - Plant based Hemostat

Medafor
Arista™AH is an absorbable hemostat, based on Medafor's patented MPH® (Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres) Technology that is used in the control of profuse bleeding in general surgery when conventional procedures are ineffective or impractical.
•Direct-from-the-shelf, rapid-delivery hemostat.
•A totally Biocompatible, non-biological, resorbable hemostatic agent (2 Days).
•A fast acting, versatile clotting agent that produces an “instant gelling” followed by the formation of a fibrin mesh.