Avita Medical donates ReCell devices, sends experienced personnel to help treat burn victims in Taiwan

Jul 8 2015

Company donates 30 devices to support Taiwan authorities

Avita Medical Ltd. (ASX: AVH), (OTCQX: AVMXY), a regenerative medicine company specializing in the treatment of wounds and skin defects, has donated a number of free ReCell^® devices and sent personnel experienced in burn treatment to provide any support requested by authorities in Taiwan, where hundreds of people have been left seriously burned in a mass casualty event at a waterpark.

“We believed a rapid response was necessary when we heard about the magnitude of this disaster, and the disturbing accounts of the types of burns that the victims had suffered,” commented Adam Kelliher, Chief Executive Officer of Avita Medical. “We have done this purely on an humanitarian basis, and are now on hand and ready to support the medical personnel in any capacity that they may require, particularly now that significant skin graft operations are underway.”

Lorraine Glover, GM for the Asia Pacific region, and Phil de Dubois, also from the company’s office in Perth, Australia, have arrived in Taipei. Both have extensive experience in training medics in an operating theatre environment. The two staff have brought 30 units of ReCell^® as donated devices, and more can be shipped if a requirement is established. ReCell^® has been approved for sale in Taiwan since 2010 where Avita is represented locally by Shawhan Biomedical Co. The ReCell^® device originated in Australia to treat victims of another mass casualty event – the 2002 bombing in Bali, Indonesia – and since then has been used some 6,000 times by medics worldwide.

The explosion during a party on June 27 at the Formosa Fun Coast water park outside Taipei, the capital, was set off when colored powder being sprayed over the crowd ignited, officials say. The fiery blast injured close to 500 people, most of them in their teens and 20s. Two people have since died from their injuries, and around 270 people hurt in the explosion remain in intensive care units.

“We will follow the guidance of medics and officials in Taiwan, and we are committed to helping them achieve the best outcome for their many patients” said Glover. “ReCell^® can be of great benefit for supporting the healing of burns patients, and we know that it can help reduce scarring, which will of course be a real consideration for so many young people.”

Glover explained that the device can convert a patient’s skin sample into a suspension of activated skin cells, which then may be applied in tandem with skin grafting, explaining that ‘this is where we really see the potential of the device, when it is used as an adjunct to mainstream standard methods of care for burns.’