‘A big difference’: Kane Biotech eager for Canadian product distribution

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This article was published 28/08/2024 (585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg-based Kane Biotech now has distribution agreements in two Middle Eastern countries for its antimicrobial wound care product, Revyve, and says it is nearing its Canadian debut.

It has received approval through Health Canada’s medical device single audit program and is now finalizing paper work. Kane does not expect to be able to start shipping in Canada until the end of September, according to CEO Marc Edwards.

It did, however, make its first shipment to U.S. distributor ProgenaCare Global this summer. Edwards said the product has been well-received. (The company is not releasing product sales results to date.)

This week, it announced a distribution partnership in Qatar to go along with one already in place in United Arab Emirates. Kane also has distribution agreements in Colombia and a few Central American countries.

Edwards said Kuwait and Saudi Arabia should be next — and, although there is nothing yet signed, the company is targeting deals in Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as Canada.

Edwards said he believes the Canadian market really needs a product like Revyve, which has been approved for a number of indications in the U.S., including diabetic foot ulcers, leg and pressure ulcers, first- and second-degree burns, partial and full thickness wounds, large surface area wounds and surgical incisions.

“Canada has a terrible track record when it comes to wound care,” said Edwards, citing its perceived reliance on medical amputation.

Chronic wounds are a condition that often afflict diabetes patients. Because Canada’s Indigenous community is disproportionately affected by diabetes, it is a population group that would benefit from Kane’s technology, he said.

“Amputation is a terrible outcome and, unfortunately, it is one that is seen as a quick fix to a non-healing wound,” Edwards said.

“In wound care, you want to clear the infection first and then work on closing up the wounds. Revyve really helps support clearing the infection. We think we can really make a big difference.”

Meanwhile, Kane is working with the Bioscience Association of Manitoba to push the Canadian government to create a wound care centre of excellence to work on this issue.

Earlier this month, it received $200,000 in research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program to support the development of three additional products to build on its antimicrobial wound gel technology.

The Winnipeg company is also expected to start clinical trials on its DispersinB technology next year in the United States. The trials will be fully funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, which has been a research partner of Kane’s for several years.

Medicare studies indicate it cost about US$30 billion to manage wound care in the U.S.

Chronic wounds are such a major challenge because of the formation of bacterial biofilms, which can make bacteria more resistant to antibiotics.

DispersinB hydrogel can increase the ability of health-care providers to effectively treat wound infections through the removal of bacterial biofilm, according to Kane officials.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca