Vestagen Technical Textiles has completed an $8.25 million financing, which it will use to accelerate the commercial launch of medical scrub uniforms and other protective apparel made from its Vestex fabrics.

According to Vestagen, Vestex is the first in a new class of medical devices based on active barrier protective fabrics that are clinically proven to prevent or reduce the acquisition and retention of contaminants on clothing.

“Healthcare workers know to wash their hands between patients, but they cannot easily change their scrubs.  We developed Vestex in response to a major unmet need for durable, comfortable, continuous-wear garments that would protect healthcare workers from the potentially dangerous contaminants they encounter on the job every day,” explained Uncas ‘Ben’ B. Favret III, president and CEO of Vestagen.

Contaminated clothing

Contaminated clothing has been shown in multiple studies to be an important conduit of bacteria to healthcare workers.  Several peer-reviewed studies document the contamination of clothing in healthcare facilities where there are patients infected with resistant organisms such as MRSA and C. difficile.

In a clinical study published in the Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, researchers reported a statistically significant MRSA reduction of more than 99.99% on the Vestex scrubs compared to standard uniforms.

Mr Favret commented: “The unique protective properties of Vestex scrub uniforms are supported with peer-reviewed clinical data, and we are in the process of filing for FDA clearance as a Class 2 medical device.  Initial acceptance by healthcare workers and institutions has been excellent.”

Protective properties

Vestex incorporates three distinct proprietary technologies – a durable fluid barrier technology, an antimicrobial technology and a technology for enhanced wearer comfort. The fluid barrier technology creates a special structured surface that binds to individual fibres, resulting in a fabric that is highly repellent to bodily fluids, water, oil, dirt and dust.

This high degree of repellency is designed to work synergistically with Vestagen’s antimicrobial technology, which has been said to be effective against a broad spectrum of organisms in vitro. Vestex’s third technology acts to wick away moisture from the inside of the fabric, enabling evaporation and creating a cooling effect for wearers while accelerating drying.

Affordable and in demand

“Growing concerns about the human and system-wide costs of hospital acquired infections give healthcare providers, payors, workers and regulators a shared interest in finding solutions,” said Dale Pfost, PhD, a general partner at Advent Life Sciences.

”By improving healthcare worker safety, we believe that we can also improve patient safety.  Vestex combines three innovative technologies to transform healthcare uniforms from potential sources of contamination into medical devices designed to protect workers and their patients, in the form of everyday work garments that are comfortable, durable and competitively priced.”

Dr Pfost added: “There are additional applications for Vestex fabrics in other industries where workers are routinely exposed to biological contaminants, and we look forward to supporting the company as it works with multiple partners and regulatory agencies to extend access to this unique set of products.”

www.vestagen.com

www.vestexprotects.com