A P7-million pilot plant will be put up to manufacture the country’s first hydrogel wound dressing product in a toll manufacturing agreement by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) with Angeles City-based Biotecos Inc.

The PVP-carrageenan based hydrogel wound dressing is seen to capture a significant market for this medical supply sector with this technology that offers cost-efficiency and product competitive edge, according to PNRI Senior Science Research Specialist Lucille Abad, project leader of the hydrogel wound dressing project.

A toll manufacturing agreement by the PNRI with a private company is an ideal commercialization setup for the wound dressing product.

"We are not allowed to manufacture it ourselves, so we are engaging in toll manufacturing," said Abad in an interview at a technology business forum.

A registration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, formerly Bureau of Food and Drugs) is currently being applied for the medical supply. And PNRI is further establishing a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for the plant operations in order to ensure product quality and safety.

An 8x8-inch wound dressing from PVP-carrageenan only costs P200 to P300 while those of smaller size in the market, 4x4-inch, costs P600 or higher. Probable competitors in the market, although not of equal quality parameters, are Duoderm and Confil.

Immediate target market of the product are hospitals and medical centers in Northern Luzon.

The manufacturing of hydrogel wound dressings involves irradiation which ensures sterilization, stability (avoiding disintegration of the material upon getting wet), and safety of the product. The PNRI has developed the PVP-carrageenan wound dressing product through a radiation cross linking technology, creating hydrogels that accelerate healing of the wound.

This medical product comes from plant sources or hydrocolloid from carrageenan (seaweeds) and thus provide a moist environment to the wound, enabling pain-free removal of the wound covering upon treatment. The wound dressing also absorbs water in bed sores, thereby avoiding infection in the wound.

"It has been reported that healing with a wet environment is faster than that with a dry environment. PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) hydrogel has excellent transparency and is smooth as membrane, and it is also biologically inactive and bio-compatible. The results showed a better wound cleaning and a more rapid growth compared with other materials," according to a Shanghai Applied Radiation Institute-Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute study.

PNRI has an existing irradiation facility for many applications, and its irradiation tank capacity is at 500 liters while the toll manufacturing for the wound dressing may require 200 liter capacity.