Next Biomedical leverages on wafer technology to raise safety in surgeries

Next Biomedical is drawing attention for its ongoing development of a new drug delivery system where an oncology drug is mounted on a coin-shaped wafer and the drug is absorbed as the wafer melts for employment in peritoneal cancer or brain surgery.

This is a solution that will create new added value through technology leveraging on safety-proven drugs and medical devices, Lee Don-haeng, CEO of Next Biomedical told Maeil Business Newspaper in a recent interview.

The wafer is a biodegradable and biocompatible material for tissue repair developed by the company, and the oncology drug on the wafer is decomposed and released for 1 to 2 months in the process of decomposition of the polymer wafer for continuous effects at the lesion site.

CEO Lee Don-haeng

Next Biomedical dedicated to endoscopic hemostatic solutions has developed innovative therapeutic agents and devices based on its patented polymer technology. Its key product is Nexpowder, an endoscopic hemostatic system for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, is used to prevent bleeding during endoscopic surgery.

Many patients who visit a gastroenterologist for GI bleeding require endoscopic hemostasis, where Nexpowder can act like an adhesive bandage inside the body, said Lee who doubles as gastroenterology professor at Inha University Hospital.

Lee started developing the product from 2011 based on ideas brainstormed with students during his fellowship at an American engineering university in the early 2000s.

Nexpowder has received marketing approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and obtained European Certification (CE) and is awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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