The URGO Group has received the Prix Galien France 2018 for UrgoStart, an innovative treatment for diabetic foot wound healingin the medical device category.
UrgoStart is the first dressing to have demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of chronic wounds, especially in diabetes-related foot ulcers. This prestigious award recognizes URGO’s work and investment in research and development (R&D) and its ongoing commitment to innovating for patients. The company invests €25 million a year in R&D, in particular on medical technologies related to chronic wound healing.
Hervé Le Lous, Chairman of URGO Group, has commented, “The prestigious Prix Galien rewards six years of collective hard work. Our R&D teams have spared no effort in developing the innovative UrgoStart wound dressing. Our goal is to enable many more people to heal much faster, which will be a major benefit for patients, doctors and nurses, and society as a whole.”
Nearly one out of every four people with diabetes will suffer from a foot ulcer at least once in their lifetime*. Such wounds are also a major risk of infection. In light of this finding, Urgo Medical launched the Explorer clinical study in five countries, with the outcomes published in March 2018 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. The results demonstrated the efficacy of UrgoStart, showing a 60% increase in wound closure compared with standard care and reduced wound closure time by 60 days from an average period of 180 days. This is the first dressing to be deemed a local treatment.
* Whiting, D. R., Guariguata, L., Weil, C., and Shax, J. 23011. “IDF Diabetes Atlas: Global Estimates of the Prevalence of Diabetes for 2011 and 2030.” Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 94 (3):311-21
