ColActive and BIOSTEP

Covalon has developed the collagen-based wound dressings ColActive™ and BIOSTEP™ (BIOSTEP is a registered trademark of Smith & Nephew Inc.). ColActive™ and BIOSTEP™ are produced from USP grade denatured porcine collagen. ColActive™ Ag and BIOSTEP™ Ag contain silver ions.

Collagen-based dressings are indicated for:

• Pressure ulcers
• Diabetic ulcers
• Ulcers caused by mixed vascular etiologies
• Venous ulcers
• First and Second degree bums
• Donor and graft sites
• Abrasions
• Dehisced surgical wounds
• Traumatic wounds healing by secondary intention

Collagen with silver, antimicrobial dressings are an advanced wound care dressing, are pliable, absorbent dressings that absorb moisture such as wound fluid forming a gel, thus maintaining a moist environment at the wound surface that aids in the formation of granulation tissue and epithelialization. The dressings act as an effective barrier to bacterial and fungal penetration. The dressings can be cut to fit specific wounds and are able to be layered for the management of deep wounds.

Large open wounds offer a point of entry for Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI). Wounds become infected not only as a result of medical procedures but also from circulating hospital air and from skin microbes. The wounds need to be kept clean and free from bacterial contamination, or the bacterial population within a wound should be reduced by application of appropriate antiseptics. 

Covalon has successfully developed expertise in advanced therapeutics delivery biomaterials that form the base manufacturing materials for medical devices in wound care. Collagen-based dressings have been created to:

• mimic biological activity of natural extracellular matrix
• Present a collagen scaffold with large surface area
• attracts, bind and deactivate harmful wound enzymes
• attract proteins and essential cells needed for efficient wound healing