Medinaynd, the Yavne-based Israeli company behind the burn treatment Nexobrid, is now testing whether the same enzymatic approach can help chronic wounds that refuse to heal. The company has launched the international VALUE study to evaluate EscharEx, enrolling 216 patients at leading medical centers in the United States, Europe and Israel. The trial is aimed at one of medicine’s most stubborn problems, wounds that can remain open for months or years, causing severe pain, repeated infections, major quality-of-life loss, amputations and sometimes death.
Medinaynd, which employs about 120 people in Israel and abroad, became known for burn care with Nexobrid, a drug derived from pineapple stem enzymes that selectively removes dead and damaged tissue without harming healthy tissue. CEO Ofer Gonen said the treatment avoids major surgery and improves recovery. Nexobrid was approved by the FDA at the end of 2022 and is now authorized in more than 40 countries.
The company’s burn technology proved especially valuable during the Iron Swords war, when, according to Gonen, about 10% of the wounded suffered significant burns and many were treated with Medinaynd’s product. He said the treatment often spared surgery and improved both medical and cosmetic outcomes. Last month, Medinaynd signed a strategic agreement worth about $200 million with the U.S. government, which will stock the drug for emergencies and mass-casualty events.
EscharEx is now being developed for chronic wounds, especially among diabetic patients, older adults and people with vascular disease. Gonen said the treatment removes all nonviable tissue that blocks healing, but does so gently, in up to eight treatments over one to two weeks. The study is already underway in Israel at Sheba, Kaplan, Shamir and Beilinson, with another center expected to join. Medinaynd hopes to complete enrollment by the end of the first quarter of 2027, with several dozen participants from Israel.
Professor Yossi Haik, who is leading part of the research at Sheba’s national burn center and skin bank, said the goal is to “wake up” stalled wounds and give them a new chance to heal. He said the treatment may be a crucial first step before advanced dressings or other therapies. Haik added that years of burn experience showed the technology can reduce the need for surgery by about 60%, and that the company is now testing whether it can do the same for millions living with chronic wounds.
