Canadian life sciences firm Ondine Biomedical, well-known for its pioneering in light-activated antimicrobial therapies, has garnered regulatory approval to introduce its Steriwave nasal decolonization product in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a significant breakthrough towards reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in surgical patients. The booming healthcare industry in the UAE, which has emerged as a medical tourism hub, represents a crucial market for Ondine.
The market extends to the 9.4 million population of the UAE and the influx of health-centered tourists from the Middle East and Asia, who contributed an estimated rise in wellness tourism spending from $2.1 billion in 2020 to $5.4 billion more recently. This move symbolizes a substantial stride for Ondine Biomedical, bringing the unique benefits of its Steriwave technology for infection reduction to the UAE and potentially other Middle Eastern markets.
The sophisticated Steriwave system, a technological wonder using a patented light-activated agent, pulls the plug on infection-producing pathogens in just a five-minute treatment. Steriwave’s speed suffocates pathogens before they can breed resistance, pitching it as a credible antibiotic substitute. Promising results from healthcare institutions already using Steriwave include high compliance rates among staff and patients and demonstrated efficacy against superbug pathogens. In addition to the Steriwave nasal system, Ondine stays at the forefront of healthcare innovation with a pipeline of products in development based on its proprietary photodisinfection technology.
Healthcare-associated infections pose a critical challenge globally, causing exorbitant costs, unnecessary deaths, and suffering – an unwelcome fifth leading cause of death in acute-care U.S. hospitals. Post-surgical infections in particular can significantly extend recovery times, typically necessitating lengthy antibiotic treatments that governments worldwide are striving to curtail.
With its latest foray into the UAE, Ondine’s Steriwave system looks set to play a key part in combating the global struggle against antimicrobial resistance.