The Food and Drug Administration this week approved a second cadaver fly species for use in maggot wound therapy, according to an announcement from Singapore-based company Cuprina Holdings, which has dubbed its new therapeutic larvae medifly maggots.
With the approval, Cuprina appears to be the only company to receive FDA approval to sell two species of fly larvae – and it has the potential to dominate the global maggot market.
is a new species lucilia cuprinaOr the Australian sheep blowfly. It is a close relative of lucilia sericataor the common green bottle fly, which is the fly species most often used for wound healing, often called biosurgery or maggot debridement therapy (MDT). l. sericata The only other fly with FDA approval is the fly, which the agency first awarded in 2004 to Ronald Sherman, now medical and scientific director of Cuprina.
“We now have FDA approval for both species used in MDT, a position no other company has,” Cuprina CEO David Quake said in a statement. “This positions our wound-care platform in one of the most demanding regulatory markets in the world and gives us a defensive edge as we continue to build our portfolio.”
The company makes no claims of any significant therapeutic difference between the two maggot treatments. Rather, they are seen as fitting into different markets. l. sericata Cuprina says that is more familiar in Western wound care. l. caprina It may be more recognized in Australia, Africa, Asia and parts of the Americas.
For his part, Sherman, who has long been a champion of the treatment, generally lauded the approval as a step forward for MDTs. “Maggot debridement therapy has earned its place in modern wound care, and the addition of a second species approved by the FDA strengthens the entire field,” Sherman said. “lucilia cuprina have a worthwhile international track record, and bring[ing] Under US FDA approval this gives physicians and their patients greater flexibility in delivering this therapy.
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