Heberprot-P against diabetic foot ulcer: unique in the world

The application of the drug Heberprot-P to more than 300,000 patients in dozens of countries has proven its effectiveness in the healing of complex wounds, ischemic ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers, which reduces the risk of amputation in patients.

Heberprot-P, developed by Cuba's Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), is a novel and unique drug prescribed for diabetic foot ulcer therapy.

The treatment of patients with HEBERPROT-P fills the gap of an unmet medical need for the care of complex diabetic foot ulcers.

Heberprot-P is considered unique and the first of its kind, achieved on the basis of recombinant human epidermal growth factor, and administered directly into the ulcerated tissues of diabetic patients, resulting in accelerated granulation of the lesions.

The basic principles of the drug are the research carried out by the American scientist Stanley Cohen in the 60's of the last century, based on the observation of the behavior of many animal species of licking wounds, applying abundant saliva to the skin openings, a trait also shared by humans, especially when they injure their fingers, burns or cuts.

At present, about 458 health units, belonging to primary, secondary and tertiary care in Cuba, apply Heberprot-P therapy to their patients.

These centers have confirmed the pharmacological properties of the drug, which enables the establishment and consolidation of useful and productive granulation tissue in patients with wound healing difficulties, including angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, at the wound site.

Mode of application: the medicine, diluted in 5 milliliters of distilled water, is infiltrated with a suitable needle into the lesions, to a depth of 0.1cm. The treatment is applied on an outpatient basis and then the patient should be bandaged and walk as little as possible. When the granulation is adequate, it is followed by the endocrinologist in consultation with topical dressings until healing.

Heberprot-P offers unquestionable therapeutic advantages because of its accelerated healing and because it considerably reduces the need for amputations of the lower extremities.

Today, Heberprot-P is registered and used effectively in several countries, including the United States, where the Cuban company Heber Biotec and the American company Mercurio Biotec have joined forces to bring the therapy of this drug to patients with diabetic foot ulcers in North American territory, following the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of that country.

Diabetes mellitus is a serious health problem. At present, it is estimated that between 170 and 190 million people in the world suffer from this disease, and it is presumed that the figure could double in the coming years. More than 350 thousand Cubans suffer from it, and of them, some 12 thousand are at risk of having ulcers in their lower limbs.