Handheld, ultrasonic antiseptic wand launched

December 19, 2005 06:22 AM

Dermisonics, Inc., (FQC), a developer of injection-free, ultrasonic, transdermal drug-delivery patches and technologies with broad pharmaceutical and consumer applications, announced that it is developing a major new commercial application of its U-Strip Drug Delivery platform, called the Antiseptic Wand, or A-Wand.

This device could present a shift in improved healthcare and infection control capabilities in the multibillion-dollar antiseptics market, and has already generated customer interest in major industries, according to the company.

The A-Wand is an ultrasonic handheld instrument designed to have multiple uses for consumers, the medical industry, emergency medical services first responders, emergency room personnel, and the military, and others. It is designed for the application of antiseptic solutions to cuts, abrasions, and wounds. It can be used before applying band-aids at home, for example, or else before the closing of a wound in surgery.

This device represents a highly viable and promising new healthcare application, according to Bruce Haglund, CEO of Dermisonics. “In conventional applications of antiseptics to a cut or a wound, the antiseptic is applied only topically, and thus affects just the outermost layers of the damaged tissue,” Haglund said. “But through using the A-Wand’s ultrasound system, the antiseptic solution is effectively pushed down to deeper tissue where it can better fight infection by surrounding and encapsulating the wounded area. This device moreover can safely and effectively penetrate scarred tissue, representing a major step forward from current technological capabilities.”

The A-Wand comes with a replaceable Patch-Cap that holds up to 40 ml of antiseptic cream, and uses alternating ultrasonic waveforms to enlarge the diameter of the skin’s pores, enabling, the company says, antiseptics to permeate the skin (Stratum Corneum) into the dermis through the sweat pores.

Dermisonics is an intellectual property company and advanced technology incubator that is primarily focused on the ongoing development, testing, and eventual commercialization of a transdermal patch that has been designed to facilitate the efficient and needle-free delivery of drugs with large molecular structures into the bloodstream.

Clinical