Entegrion's Lifesaving Bandage Now Available In Military Base Supply Centers

Main Category: Medical Devices
Article Date: 19 May 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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When Dr. Thomas Fischer first developed the notion of a hemostatic textile that integrated glass fibers, Entegrion turned to leaders in the N.C. textile industry to produce the unique weave. Collaboration is once again driving Entegrion's growth as it partners with LC Industries of Durham, N.C., the nation's largest employer of people who are blind. This new partnership will put Entegrion's lifesaving bandages in the hands of men and women in our armed forces and other government agencies through distribution at LC Industries-operated military base supply centers across the country.

Dating back centuries, conventional cotton gauze has been the standard in managing bleeds, but Stasilon™ - FR is set to change history. Uniquely woven from a mixture of glass and bamboo fibers, Stasilon™ - FR provides a solution to quickly stop the bleeding. In vital need, soldiers and unit medics can now purchase the lifesaving Stasilon™ - FR dressings in their supply centers to take into combat. Unlike absorbent cotton, the combination of glass and bamboo fibers trigger the body's natural mechanisms for hemorrhage control by rapidly constricting and clotting damaged blood vessels, stabilizing the wound and drastically reducing severe blood loss. These innovative

4" x 4" wound dressings are sold in participating LC Industries-operated military supply centers in quantities of 10 per box.

Participating centers include Hulbert Field, Pensacola Naval Air Station, Naval Station Mayport, Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida; Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon, Hunter Army Air Field, Trident Refit Facility and Kings Bay in Georgia; Camp Shelby in Mississippi; Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada; Fort Drum in New York; Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base and LCI Corporate Headquarters in North Carolina; MCAS Beaufort, Naval Weapons Station Charleston, Fort Jackson and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Stasilon™ - FR is the first blood-staunching dressing cleared by the FDA for use by individuals in virtually any environment. No training or special instructions are required. You simply open the package, apply the dressing to the wound and maintain firm pressure. With severe blood loss causing half of all battlefield fatalities, Stasilon™ - FR bandages are ideal in military combat lifesaver bags for minor or more severe wounds, or for use by medical professionals in life-threatening situations.

Entegrion invented the Stasilon™ technology in consultation with the Office of Naval Research to address the military's crucial need for effective, but low-cost, hemostatic wound dressings. The first application of the technology is Stasilon™ - FR for first responders. Unlike other hemostatic devices on the market, Stasilon™ - FR has no limitation on the duration of use and has been observed to not adhere to wounded tissue, thus avoiding rebleeding after removal.

Entegrion's FDA cleared Stasilon™ - FR bandages are currently being distributed to EMS workers, police officers, emergency personnel, fire fighters and other first responders in an agreement with Southeastern Emergency Equipment Distributors of Wake Forest, N.C. Plans are also in the works to establish a direct-to-consumer channel.

About LC Industries

LC Industries is a North Carolina not-for-profit corporation that operates under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act, and is currently the largest employer of people who are blind in the United States. In the mid-1990s, LC Industries took advantage of an opportunity to create new jobs for the visually impaired at Fort Bragg. Today, this partnership of employing people who are blind in retail settings, while providing the military with the supplies they need, has proven to be a mutually beneficial program. The AbilityOne (formerly JWOD) program now boasts more than 130 base supply centers on military and civilian installations across the country. LC Industries operates 27 of these base supply centers, supporting every branch of the military.

About Entegrion

Entegrion is a life sciences company that selectively integrates synergistic technologies with those in its patent portfolio for development of novel devices and drugs for hemorrhage control, resuscitation, and associated tissue repair. The company is based in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, and is the inventor of Stasilon™ - the FDA approved hemostatic medical textile technology approved for use by prescription and also by consumers - from which multiple hemorrhage control products are being made. Building upon technologies licensed from the University of North Carolina, Entegrion's portfolio includes platelet-derived platform technologies that are being developed as topical gels and sprays for tissue repair, infusible hemostatic agents for the control of internal hemorrhage, and novel vehicles for delivery of drugs to targeted tumors and other sites of internal bleeding. For more information, visit http://www.entegrion.com.

Entegrion