Funds to be used for clinical development of EscharEx® to treat diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) Award advances MediWound's DFU program and its future revenues four years ahead of original schedule YAVNE, Israel, July 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediWound Ltd. (NASDAQ:MDWD), the global leader in next-generation enzymatic therapeutics for tissue repair, announced today it has been selected to receive €16.25 million in blended funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) through its accelerator program. The funding will significantly advance the Company's EscharEx development program for patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Pending FDA and EMA approval, the funding will enable the Company to expedite the market introduction of this innovative biologic by four years, well ahead of MediWound's original schedule. The EIC Accelerator offers grants and equity investments to support innovative, game-changing products. In addition to financial support, selected projects benefit from a range of business acceleration services that provide access to global experts, businesses, investors and ecosystem players. The funding package includes a €2.5 million grant and an investment, with terms to be finalized between the Company and the EIC. "We are honored to be selected for this prestigious and highly competitive program," stated Ofer Gonen, Chief Executive Officer of MediWound. "The EIC's support recognizes EscharEx's potential to profoundly impact patients, especially those living with the significant challenges of DFUs. This funding will enable MediWound to develop EscharEx for DFU in parallel with our advanced program for treating venous leg ulcers (VLUs), substantially increasing the overall market." With 70% of DFU patients requiring debridement, EscharEx addresses a staggering market of up to 34 million diabetic patients (US and Europe) who are at risk of developing a DFU in their lifetime. If not properly treated, DFUs can lead to serious complications including amputations, infections and death. Accelerating this program will have a revolutionary impact on the future DFU treatment for the millions of patients in this underserved population. For more information about the EIC Accelerator, visit https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en. About EscharEx EscharEx® is a bioactive, multimodal debridement therapy for the treatment of chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds, currently in ...