Derma Sciences Showcases "Off-Loading Your Diabetic Foot Ulcer, An Actor's Story," a Patient Video Featuring Actor and Director Stephen Furst and his Experience with TCC-EZ®

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Derma Sciences, Inc., (Nasdaq:DSCI) a leading tissue regeneration company committed to the chain of discovery, manufacturing and distribution of novel advanced wound care products, is showcasing a patient video at the Fall Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) featuring actor and director Stephen Furst who played "Flounder" in Animal House as well as appearing in St. Elsewhere and Babylon 5. This patient story, titled "Off-Loading Your Diabetic Foot Ulcer, An Actor's Story," demonstrates how the TCC-EZ® Total Contact Casting system helped Furst, a diabetic patient, heal his foot ulcer and may have saved his foot. Dr. Lee C. Rogers, Medical Director of the Amputation Prevention Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital and Furst's doctor is also featured in the video and discusses TCC-EZ® and its ability to reduce pressure near the area of a wound, allowing it to heal.

The video touches on how the other treatment methods Furst used were relatively ineffective and interfered with his daily life. These treatments included collagen dressings, silver dressings and the post-op shoe. Due to discomfort or difficulty of application, Furst often ended up removing these treatments, causing his ulcers to recur. TCC-EZ® is a total contact cast, which is designed to off-load weight from the bottom of the foot. This is essential to allow wounds on the foot to heal.

"Total contact casting is the preferred method for healing diabetic foot ulcers – in fact, many experts consider total contact casting the Gold Standard. Application of TCC-EZ® is quick and easy – It has the added benefits of allowing patients to carry-on with their normal daily life without much modification," said Dr. Rogers. "Patients tell me that the cast is comfortable to wear, and that they are fairly mobile when wearing it. In almost 90 percent of patients ulcers heal in about 6-8 weeks, according to studies on total contact casting. TCC-EZ®is really one of the best tools I have when I'm fighting diabetic foot ulcers." 

Derma Sciences will showcase TCC-EZ®and the patient video at booth #321 at SAWC October 17 in Las Vegas, Nev. Stephen Furst and Dr. Rogers will be at the booth conducting an interactive demonstration of TCC-EZ®and the simple application process, which can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

"The problem I had with diabetic ulcers is that they would start to heal and then they would recur, because I would be on my feet more so then I should've been," said Stephen Furst. "Being told I could lose my foot was a real wakeup call for me – I didn't know there was a solution like TCC-EZ®, which really helped me save my foot. It allowed me to do the things I normally do."

To view "Off-Loading Your Diabetic Foot Ulcer, An Actor's Story," click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugnuTKm80f8

About the TCC-EZ® Total Contact Casting System
Total Contact Casting is recognized as the Gold Standard of care for diabetic foot ulcers. TCC-EZ® offers a one-piece, roll-on, woven design that simplifies the casting while reducing the potential for causing additional tissue damage. The application process can be completed in less than 10 minutes while providing greater patient comfort.

About Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Unfortunately, if left untreated, diabetic foot wounds can become serious, placing a patient at risk for amputation and other life-threatening conditions. Early and effective management of the wound is the safest route to preventing complications.

85% of lower extremity amputations in diabetic patients are preceded by a foot ulcer¹. Total Contact Casting (TCC) has been shown to help heal 9 out of 10 ulcers^{2, 3}. That is because the casts are designed to take the weight off the bottom of the foot to allow them to heal (off-load).

About Derma Sciences, Inc.
Derma Sciences is a tissue regeneration company focused on advanced wound and burn care. It offers a line of products with patented technologies to help better manage chronic and hard-to-heal wounds, many of which result from diabetes and poor vascular functioning. The company recently entered the $500 million market for skin substitute products with its licensing of AMNIOEXCEL® and AMNIOMATRIX® in the first quarter of 2014. AMNIOEXCEL® was launched to customers in March 2014 and AMNIOMATRIX® was launched in the second quarter. Its MEDIHONEY® product is the leading brand of honey-based dressings for the management of wounds and burns. The product has been shown in clinical studies to be effective in a variety of indications. TCC-EZ® is its gold-standard total contact casting system for diabetic foot ulcers. Other novel products introduced into the $14 billion global wound care market include XTRASORB® for better management of wound exudate, and BIOGUARD® for barrier protection against microbes and other contaminants. Its pharmaceutical wound care products include DSC127, which is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials for the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. The drug candidate is also part of a BARDA grant program for the healing/prevention of tissue damage due to ionizing radiation exposure. The patented API peptide used in DSC127 is also in preclinical testing for scar prevention/reduction. The company also offers a full product line of traditional dressings.

For more information please visit www.dermasciences.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "estimate" or "continue" are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that certain important factors may affect the company's actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements that may be made in this news release or that are otherwise made by or on behalf of the company. Factors that may affect the company's results include, but are not limited to, product demand, market acceptance, impact of competitive products and prices, product development, completion of an acquisition, commercialization or technological difficulties, the success or failure of negotiations and trade, legal, social and economic risks. Additional factors that could cause or contribute to differences between the company's actual results and forward-looking statements include but are not limited to, those discussed in the company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

References
¹ Incidence of diabetic foot ulcer and lower extremity amputation among Medicare beneficiaries, 2006 to 2008, www.ahrq.gov.
² Armstrong, et al; Diabetes Care, June 2001
³ Bloomgarden, ZT; American Diabetes Association 60th Scientific Sessions, 2000. Diabetes Care 24:946-951, 2001

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugnuTKm80f8

SOURCE Derma Sciences, Inc.