Israeli Pineapple-Based Burn Treatment Heads To Japan

Israeli technology that uses pineapple proteins to treat severe burns is entering the Japanese market.

MediWound, a biotech company, has created a non-surgical treatment that is applied to the dead tissue of patients with second- and third-degree burns, and removes it within four hours.

The treatment is enriched with bromelain, an enzyme found in the pineapple stem and pineapple juice, and helps the body to create substances that fight pain and swelling. It also prevents wound deterioration and scarring. 

Kaken Pharmaceutical, in Japan, will exclusively market and distribute the treatment – called NexoBrid – starting in the summer of 2023. 

Doctors usually remove dead tissue from burns through debridement, a specific surgical procedure. These procedures often require skin grafting, another procedure in which skin is transplanted from one area to another. 

Such procedures are traumatic and may result in loss of blood and viable tissue. Meanwhile, other non-surgical approaches are not as effective and take much longer to work.

And if the damaged tissue is left in the body, it is likely to lead to an infection. 

“We look forward to partnering with Kaken Pharmaceutical and are confident that their proven track record of achieving market penetration will maximize the medical and commercial potential of NexoBrid in Japan,” said Ofer Gonen, CEO of MediWound.

“This approval further supports our global commercialization strategy to expand the use of NexoBrid to international markets via collaborations with local partners and through additional marketing approvals.”

NexoBrid has already treated over 11,000 patients in over 40 countries.

MediWound was founded in 2000, and is headquartered in Yavne, central Israel.