ArticleEClinicalMedicine2024
Once daily Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement of venous leg ulcers versus gel vehicle (placebo) and non-surgical standard of care: a three-arm multicenter, double blinded, randomized controlled study.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03588130 (A Multicenter , Prospective, Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Adaptive Design Study Performed to Evaluate the Safety and the Efficacy of EscharEx), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Multicenter , Prospective, Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Adaptive Design Study Performed to Evaluate the Safety and the Efficacy of EscharEx (EX-02 Formulation) in Debridement of Venous Leg Ulcers
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparative effectiveness of debridement strategies for chronic lower-extremity wounds: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Advanced Grafting Biomaterials and Technologies in Chronic Wound Care: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Therapeutic Integration.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2026Review
- Bioinspired smart catalytic microneedle patch with structural color for infected wound management.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2025Article
- What's New in Wound Healing: Treatment Advances and Microbial Insights.American journal of clinical dermatology · 2025Review
- Bromelain in Burn Care: Advancements in Enzymatic Debridement and Patient Outcomes.European burn journal · 2024Review
- Anacaulase-Bcdb for Enzymatic Eschar Removal in Adult and Paediatric Thermal Burns: Clinical Evidence, Safety, and Therapeutic Positioning.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair SocietyReview
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Authors and funding
27 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Debridement is considered the first step in treatment of chronic wounds, however, current enzymatic and autolytic debridement agents are slow or ineffective. Previous studies have shown positive initial results with EscharEx® (EX-02 formulation), a Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement agent in development for chronic wounds. The main objective of this study was to assess its efficacy in debriding venous leg ulcers (VLU), compared to gel vehicle (GV) as a placebo control and to non-surgical standard of care (NSSOC). Methods: A prospective, randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial in patients with VLU from 20 medical centers and clinics in the United States, Switzerland and Israel was undertaken. Patients were treated with daily topical applications of either EX-02, GV, or NSSOC (in a 3:3:2 ratio), until reaching complete debridement or up to 8 daily treatments (within 2 weeks), and then followed-up for up to 14 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the incidence of complete debridement. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03588130) and EudraCT (number 2020-004861-38). Findings: A total of 196 patients were enrolled, and 119 randomized (between November 12th, 2019, and February 15th, 2022); 46 to the EX-02 arm, 43 to the GV arm, and 30 to the NSSOC arm. Eight patients dropped out of the study (2 in EX-02, 2 in GV, 4 in NSSOC). The incidence of complete debridement within 8 daily treatments was 63% (29/46 patients) in the EX-02 arm as compared to 30.2% (13/43 patients) in the GV arm (p = 0.004) and 13.3% (4/30 patients) in the NSSOC arm (p < 0.001). Sixty-five patients reported wound related adverse events throughout the study; 24 (52.2%), 27 (62.8%) and 14 (46.7%) patients in the EX-02, GV and NSSOC arms (p = NS). No deaths occurred during the study. Interpretation: EX-02 lead to a significantly higher incidence of complete debridement as compared to GV and NSSOC, without significant safety issues. Additional studies are needed to explore the benefits of EX-02 in VLU and other chronic wound etiologies. Funding: MediWound Ltd.
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