Bio-Alcamid Receives Health Canada Approval!

The arrival of Bio-Alcamid™ is exceptional news to men and women suffering from Lipoatrophy, the disfiguring condition that is often a result of the antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection and AIDS.

Press Release
BIO-ALCAMID™ RECEIVES HEALTH CANADA APPROVAL!

The Injectable Filler Offers an Effective, Affordable Treatment for Facial Lipoatrophy, the Facial Wasting Associated with HIV Infection and AIDS

Pur Medical Corporation, a Canadian distributor of innovative medical and medical cosmetic enhancement products, has introduced Bio-Alcamid™ to the Canadian market. In use in a number of European countries since 2001, Bio-Alcamid™ is an injectable solution which restores the natural fullness and contours of the face when injected under the skin. The arrival of Bio-Alcamid™ is exceptional news to men and women suffering from Lipoatrophy, the disfiguring condition that is often a result of the antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection and AIDS.

Lipoatrophy, often referred to as facial wasting, has become the “scarlet letter” of HIV, a public mark of HIV infection. The daily arsenal of antiretroviral drugs can take a tremendous toll on the quality of daily life causing anemia, extreme fatigue and severe gastrointestinal problems. With the addition of the facial disfigurement of Lipoatrophy, patients are forced to endure a constant visual reminder of the infection, essentially announcing to the world that they are HIV positive or have AIDS. Often, the result is extreme depression, leading to a decision by some to forego the medication they require to survive.

“Until now, Canadian HIV patients living with facial Lipoatrophy have not had a viable treatment,” says Toronto cosmetic plastic surgeon, Frank Beninger, M.D., F.R.C.S. (C). “Bio-Alcamid™ may be used in the large volume necessary to restore fat loss. My patients have been thrilled with the results.” Mona Loufty, M.D., F.R.C.P. (C) MPH - Infectious Disease Specialist at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Medical Clinic concurs, saying “Bio-Alcamid™ has reversed the affects of Lipoatrophy in all the patients that we have treated. It is a quick, simple procedure with outstanding results.”

When injected under the skin, Bio-Alcamid™, an injectable gel polymer, replaces depleted fat tissue, restoring the natural fullness and contours of the face. Unlike other injectable fillers that are commonly used in cosmetic enhancement, Bio-Alcamid™ acts like a gel prosthesis that becomes encapsulated in a thin layer of collagen that isolates it from the host tissues. As a result, a physician can remove Bio-Alcamid™ should this ever be desired. Bio-Alcamid has been used outside Canada in large volumes for the reconstruction of other anatomical areas, namely, buttocks, de-nervated shoulders, and a majority of the time in Europe for facial aesthetic enhancement.

Since November, 2004, more than 1000 Bio-Alcamid treatments have been performed in Canada, under provisions of the Special Access Program, to exceptional results. Bio-Alcamid is now approved by Health Canada’s Medical Devices Bureau, with treatments available through select, trained physicians across Canada. Potential patients can find a physician treating Lipoatrophy with Bio-Alcamid™ by visiting www.purmedical.com or emailing info@purmedical.com. Alternatively, further information is also available from the Face Forward Foundation, www.faceforward.ca , a non-profit foundation that supports people dealing with the physical and psychological side effects of HIV infection.