EPIEN Medical Inc.


	Market Overview	Competitive Products


		Dozens of products are marketed internationally for the palliative treatment of aphthous ulcers. The products are designed to temporarily reduce discomfort during the 10-14 day incidence of RAS. All are variations on the same classes of ingredients: 1) a type of disinfectant, 2) a form of pain reducer, 3) a viscous, sticky, or sealing product that attempts to cause the treatment compound to remain on the site to protect the aphthae or, 4) a significant drug therapeutic such as a steroid or Thalidomide. Many of these products require numerous repeated applications over the 10-14 day course of the RAS outbreak as their palliative effects quickly dissipate.
	Throughout history mankind has been plagued by a variety of ailments characterized by the development of common topical epithelial lesions, either of the oral mucosa (mouth), or of skin. The causative factors are varied but symptoms are often similar. Generally the oral lesions are irritated and worsened by physical contact and by the presence of certain foods. The surfaces of the lesions may become encrusted with necrotic tissue and infected, which slows the natural healing process and prolongs discomfort. As a result, individuals experiencing these lesions, depending on the severity and number of aphthae, may stop eating and lose sleep until the condition subsides naturally after 10-14 days. A common repetitive form of these lesions is called Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis ("RAS"). As many as one in five adults may suffer from RAS for some period during their life (Akintoye,et.al, Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis. Dent. Clin. N. Am. 49(2005):31-47).


Site Map Terms of Use			EPIEN Medical Inc. 2008