Light-Based System

Nomir Medical Technologies has developed many innovative medical treatments based on the power of optical energy. As a result, the company was awarded the 2009 Frost & Sullivan North American Technology Innovation of the Year Award for Advanced Microbial Destruction Technologies for its latest product in the works, Noveon. Noveon gets rid of infections, both bacterial and fungal, through the use of near-infrared low power lights. The system uses photo-inactivation to eliminate infection while preserving healthy tissue.

Medical Alternative

The CEO and President of Nomir Medical, Richart Burtt, commented that Noveon offers, "… a new treatment paradigm for bacterial and fungal infections and as an alternative to pharmacological therapy. This technology platform has thus far been validated in human clinical trials in both onychomycosis and MRSA and we believe that its potential utility extends far beyond these indications."

Noveon works by using two different, low power wavelengths to find and eliminate infection through photo-biological means. The technology has so far made it through the initial trials and the device is well on its way to receiving FDA approval. While these trials have focused on the use of Noveon technology for curing onychomycosis (toe nail fungus) and MRSA, Burtt believes that Noveon's potential applications may reach very far afield. After FDA approval is received, the company will first market the device as a cure for onychomycosis.

Toenail Fungus

After several IRB (Institutional Review Board) pilot studies proved Noveon effective against toe nail fungus in humans, Nomir began the process, in May 2008, of getting the FDA to research the device as a cure for toe nail fungus—the first step toward FDA approval. Nomir also ran two IRB studies with Noveon as a curative against MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus where it uses the nasal passages as a vehicle or infects the nares (nose). Now, Nomir is starting its first study on Noveon for the purpose of reducing diabetic foot ulcers.

Nomir has just received its second FDA clearance for marketing Noveon for procedures involving the skin, nasal passages, and subcutaneous tissues. Used for these purposes, Noveon can be employed in otolaryngology, plastic surgery, dermatology, and in podiatry.

Nomir's hope is to develop Noveon as a technology that can reduce the need for antifungal agents and antibiotics. It is believed that optical energy has the potential to speed healing time and even promote the growth of healthy tissue. Nomir believes that Noveon can do all this with many fewer associated side effects than may be experienced with traditional therapies.