Skin is the largest organ in the human body, forming a protective physical barrier against the outside world. Damages to the skin due to physical, chemical and biological factors may lead to wounds. While most wounds heal without further assistance, chronic wounds, defined as wounds that fail to proceed through an orderly and timely process to produce anatomic and functional integrity subject the patient to significant discomfort and distress while draining the medical system of an enormous amount of resources. For instance, chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, do not heal within 8 weeks. Wound healing is a complex biological process, and complications affect the quality of life of over 4 million people a year in EU (more than cancer & diabetes) that struggle to live with hard-to-heal injuries, as it can lead to infection, tissue and bone necrosis, pain and in some severe cases even amputation. Apart from wounds, additional afflictions like inflammatory diseases, cutaneous reactions and damaged as well as compromised or diseased skin, cover a large percentage of the entire skin surface and affect patients of various age-groups. Patients with chronic wounds often require specialised wound care and management, and this drastically impacts their quality of life during the wound healing process. Any improvement in therapeutic approaches is, therefore, urgently needed to deliver patient-centred care aiming at maximizing positive health outcomes & quality of life.
Founded in 2005, Stratpharma is a fast-growing, global medical devices company based in Basel, Switzerland. It designs, develops, manufactures and markets breakthrough products for patients around the world. The company specializes in the development and commercialization of medical devices for cosmetic dermatology, plastic surgery, burns, radiation oncology, wounds and scar management. Currently, the company is developing a novel range of products, based on their proprietary gel which unique drug delivery properties to enhance clinical outcomes. Stratpharma has developed StrataGRT, a film-forming gel formulation enhanced with bioactive glass technology for improved chronic wound healing.