Derma Sciences, Inc.’s BIOGUARD™ barrier gauze wound dressings have recently been classified by the FDA as Class II medical devices. The newly issued guidance pertains to a wound dressing with permanently bound cationic biocide polyDADMAC, one of the molecular entities covered in nine Quick-Med U.S. patents/patents pending and in 24 foreign counterparts.

According to the company, BIOGUARD dressings feature:

• The ability for the dressings to serve as a barrier to infection, kill germs absorbed into the dressing and provide an optimum wound healing environment.
• An active agent that maintains effectiveness even in the presence of large amounts of wound fluid.
• A non-leaching antimicrobial wound dressing, while other antimicrobial dressings rely on the release of chemicals to the wound bed, could cause the formation of resistant bacterial strains.
• Ideal use as prophylactic infection control dressings, especially in the hospital environment, where deaths related to hospital-acquired infections have risen to become the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease, automobile accidents and cancer.

For more information, visit www.dermasciences.com