Advanced BioHealing Announces First Diabetes Patient Adherence Program for Foot Ulcer Treatment

Heal2gether Partnership Program demonstrates continued leadership and commitment to improving patient outcomes

Westport, CT – November 3, 2009 – Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH), a leader in commercializing the promise of regenerative medicine and the maker of Dermagraft®, launched during American Diabetes Month the Heal2gether Partnership Program for diabetes patients and their physicians. Focused on patient adherence, Heal2gether aims to increase awareness and proper care of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), enhance the effective use of living cell technologies in treating DFUs, and encourage patients to take an active role in their healing process.

“Treatment of diabetic foot ulcers requires steadfast adherence on behalf of the patient,” said Steve Bohannon, RN, Program Director at Providence Wound Care Clinic in Waco, TX and pilot member of the Heal2gether Partnership Program. “A process that encourages patients to maintain their dedication to the treatment program is invaluable in our ability to provide our patients with the best care possible.”

Approximately 15-25% percent of diabetes patients will develop a foot ulcer during their lifetime and between 14-24% of those with a foot ulcer will require amputation. In fact, more than 70,000 lower leg or foot amputations occur among diabetes patients in the U.S. each year. The effectiveness of DFU healing depends on the patient’s understanding of the gravity of the condition and their active participation in the treatment plan designed by a physician.

The Heal2gether Partnership Program works to increase adherence to treatment programs through managed patient support and community outreach. Heal2gether’s patient support program provides diabetes patients with resources, guidance, and encouragement to help them manage their disease and heal their DFU. Patients are paired with a licensed social worker with extensive experience in motivational interviewing to serve as their personal treatment partner. Patients receive weekly consultation calls from their social workers, journals to record their weekly goals, education on DFUs, and a toll-free telephone number to reach their social worker anytime. The social worker helps and encourages the patient through every step of the healing process and then reports back to physicians on the patient’s adherence to the treatment plan.

“Unlike many off-the-shelf patient adherence programs that are based on either scripted conversations or impersonal electronic interactions, the Heal2gether Partnership Program is the first to focus on open, conversational dialogue between the patient and their treatment partner,” said Dean Tozer, Senior Vice President at ABH. “The Program emphasizes relationship-building with the goal of providing support to both patients and physicians in the healing process.”

Heal2gether’s community outreach program takes a grassroots approach to educating the senior and diabetic populations on DFUs, early warning signs, and prevention. Through activities such as blood glucose and foot sensory screenings at senior centers, churches and health fairs; health care provider presentations about DFUs and proper foot care at community luncheons; and articles in local senior and healthcare magazines, Heal2gether is raising visibility of the condition, one community at a time.

“While medical treatments can solve most complications related to diabetes, many people become overwhelmed, frustrated, and discouraged by the daily hassles of diabetes and by the unending, often burdensome self-care demands,” said Dr. Susan Guzman, Psychologist at Behavioral Diabetes Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to tackling the unmet psychological needs of people with diabetes. “By emphasizing education about diabetic foot ulcers and developing the relationship between the social worker and the patient, the Heal2gether Partnership Program addresses both the physical and emotional obstacles to the self-care behaviors that are critical for short-term healing and long-term success living with diabetes.”

ABH is rolling out Heal2gether Partnership Programs at multiple wound care clinics in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, and plans to launch the programs in other cities over the coming months. For more information about the Heal2gether Partnership Program, please visit www.heal2gether.org

About Advanced BioHealing, Inc.
Advanced BioHealing develops and commercializes living cell technologies that repair damaged human tissue and enable the body to heal itself. A privately held company with more than 200 employees, Advanced BioHealing maintains corporate offices in Westport, CT and a 70,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in La Jolla, CA. To meet Advanced BioHealing’s executives and learn more about the Company, please visit the Company’s web site at www.ABH.com.

About Dermagraft®
Dermagraft is a bio-engineered skin substitute that assists in restoring damaged tissue and supports the body’s natural healing process. It is currently FDA approved to treat diabetic foot ulcers. More than 150,000 applications of Dermagraft have been administered in over 1,000 wound care centers and outpatient clinics nationwide. For videos of Dermagraft in action, case studies, research and more, visit www.Dermagraft.com.

About Diabetic Foot Ulcers
In 2007, 23.6 million people, or 7.8% of the American population, had diabetes. Referred to as the “epidemic of our time” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, incidence of diabetes is expected to increase 165% by 2050. The World Health Organization estimates 171 million people have diabetes globally and that number is expected to double by 2030. As a chronic medical condition among many diabetes patients, it is estimated that 15-25% will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime, putting them at a 14-24% risk for lower limb amputation, and a 45% chance of death within five years if not managed properly. Also generating a significant financial impact, each new incidence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) in the U.S. costs nearly $40,000 to treat in the first two years. In the U.S. and Europe combined, DFU incidence is estimated to be between 1.7 to 2.5 million annually. Risk of death from unhealed neuropathic ulcers like DFUs is greater than both breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

Media Contacts:

• Lindsey Hart
  • Advanced BioHealing
  • lhart@abh.com
  • Direct: (773) 697-3838
  • Cell: (206) 335-0114
• Kristy DelMuto
  • Gregory FCA
  • Kristy@GregoryFCA.com
  • Direct: (610) 228-2118
  • Cell: (484) 686-4775