Israeli Pineapple-Based Burn Therapy Treating Injured US Troops

Israeli technology that uses pineapple proteins to treat severe burns will be used to treat wounded US soldiers in the field. 

Biotech company MediWound 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 NexoBrid treatment is enriched with bromelain, an enzyme found in the pineapple stem and pineapple juice, which helps the body to fight pain and swelling. It also helps to mitigate a wound deteriorating as well as future scarring.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has now awarded $6.5 million to advance the development of a new, temperature-stable formulation of NexoBrid, so it can serve as a first-line solution to treat burn injuries outside of the hospital. 

The DoD grant was funded by MTEC, a biomedical technology consortium working to advance innovative medical solutions for US military personnel. 

Severe burns are normally treated through debridement – the surgical removal of dead tissue that may result in loss of blood and viable tissue. 

“We are honored to further our collaboration with the US Department of Defense,” said Ofer Gonen, CEO of MediWound.

“Our shared vision of enhancing treatment outcomes for traumatic burns on the battlefield will ensure NexoBrid’s availability for military use,” he said.