Organogenesis Launches Fight4MyFeet for Diabetes Patient and Healthcare Provider Communities

Fight4MyFeet is a Program Raising Awareness and Providing Education around Diabetic Foot Ulcers

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Nov 06, 2013, 07:30 ET

CANTON, Mass., Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Organogenesis Inc., a commercial leader in the field of regenerative medicine, is launching Fight4MyFeet, an educational program and online resource focused on proper foot hygiene within the diabetic community. Fight4MyFeet offers patients and clinicians tools and strategies to help ensure the best chance of healing a diabetic foot ulcer.

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In 2010, 26 million people in the United States had diabetes and seven million were undiagnosed.[1] The incidence of chronic wounds is highest among the eight percent of the total U.S. population who have diabetes[2], and fifteen percent of those with diabetes can expect to develop a foot ulcer at some point in their lives.[3],[4] Diabetic foot complications are the most common cause of nontraumatic lower extremity amputations in the industrialized world. The risk of lower extremity amputation is 15 to 46 times higher in people with diabetes than in persons who do not have diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, foot complications are the most frequent reason for hospitalization in patients with diabetes.[5]

"As a vascular surgeon and a wound care specialist who treats foot ulcerations, I've found that education on foot care isn't as often mentioned as diet and lifestyle changes to patients living with diabetes," said Gary W. Gibbons, MD, Medical Director, South Shore Hospital Center for Wound Healing. "My team and I educate diabetics about proper foot care and it's great that there is now a website I can refer my patients to."

Fight4MyFeet is designed to help people with diabetes fight for their feet by providing them with easy-to-understand information about the prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers among people living with diabetes, simple measures they can take to ensure their feet are protected and an opportunity to gain comfort from real patients who have dealt with a diabetic foot ulcer.

"Organogenesis is committed to the patients we serve, shown through our living technology and dedication to promoting evidence-based wound care," said Geoff MacKay, president and Chief Executive Officer, Organogenesis Inc. "The Fight4MyFeet campaign gives us an opportunity to continue to ensure that patients and wound care specialists have the tools and resources needed for optimal wound prevention and healing."

People can join the fight and learn more about proper foot care, as well as read stories from other people with diabetes fighting for their feet, by visiting Fight4MyFeet.com.

What is a Diabetic Foot Ulcer?
For people with diabetes, the body is not able to make enough insulin, causing sugars to build up in the blood. Over time, high blood sugar can lead to numbness and other problems with the feet, as well as poor blood flow. People with diabetes might step on a sharp object and not even feel it,[6] resulting in wounds that are slow to heal. These wounds are referred to as diabetic foot ulcers.[7],[8]

About Fight4MyFeet
The mission of Fight4MyFeet is to raise awareness among patients and caregivers and to give wound care providers valuable resources and tools that offer the best chance of healing patients' wounds. The program is designed to help patients find information on diabetic foot ulcers.

Fight4MyFeet is a program sponsored by Organogenesis Inc., the makers of Apligraf®, focusing on optimizing wound healing for diabetic foot ulcers and helping to establish appropriate wound healing protocols. For more information, visit www.Fight4MyFeet.com.

About Organogenesis Inc.
Having pioneered the field, Massachusetts-based Organogenesis Inc. is a world leading regenerative medicine company focused in the areas of bio-active wound healing and oral regeneration. The company's mission is to bring the medical marvel of regenerative medicine products to patients and to standardize their use in everyday medical care. For more information, visit www.organogenesis.com.

[1] National diabetes fact sheet, 2011. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf. Accessed September 27, 2013.
[2] Regenerative Medicine Annual Report, Non-Healing Wounds, pg. 34. March 2012-March 2013.
[3] Reiber GE, Ledoux WR. Epidemiology of diabetic foot ulcers and amputations: evidence for prevention. In: Williams R, Herman W, Kinmonth AL, Wareham NJ, eds. The Evidence Base for Diabetes Care. West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.;2002:641-665.
[4] Reiber GE, Boyko EJ, Smith DG. Lower extremity foot ulcers and amputations in diabetes. In: Bowker JH, Pfeifer MA, eds. Levin and O'Neal's The Diabetic Foot. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier;2011:409-428.
[5] Diabetic foot ulcers: prevention, diagnosis and classification. American Academy of Family Physicians website. http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0315/p1325.html. Accessed October 4, 2013.
[6] Parmet S, Glass TJ, Glass RM. JAMA patient page. Diabetic foot ulcers. JAMA. 2005;293(2):260. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=200153. Accessed September 27, 2013.
[7] Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. www.cdc.gov/media/presskits/aahd/diabetes.pdf. Accessed September 27, 2013.
[8] CDC features—Living with diabetes: keep your feet healthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/DiabetesFootHealth/. Accessed September 27, 2013.