
Israeli Antibiotic Gel Helps Eight of Ten Diabetic Patients Avoid Foot Amputation in Jerusalem Trial
An Israeli-developed technology that delivers antibiotics directly to severe infection sites helped eight out of ten diabetic patients who had been considered candidates for foot amputation avoid the procedure in a clinical pilot at Jerusalem's Sha’arei Zedek Medical Center. The technology, developed by Israeli biotech company GentaGel, uses a biodegradable polymer to release antibiotics gradually at the site of an infection for up to 60 days.
The small clinical pilot included ten patients suffering from severely infected diabetic foot ulcers and bone infections who were candidates for either amputation or removal of infected bone. Eight recovered from their infections without requiring amputation, with wound closure and bone regrowth observed in all eight. Diabetic foot infections can be particularly difficult to treat and, in severe cases, can lead to repeated surgery, long hospital stays, and amputation.
The findings are preliminary, and the company is now advancing additional studies in Israel and the United States while pursuing a regulatory pathway with the US Food and Drug Administration. Traditional antibiotic treatments are generally administered orally or intravenously, meaning the medication circulates throughout the body while only part of it reaches the infection at the concentration required; GentaGel's approach is designed to deliver the antibiotic directly into the infected area.
(JPost/VFI News)
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