Pr Albert Claude BENHAMOU - Mr. Chairman, we are honored to be responsible for the magazine Look and Medicine to prepare a publication dedicated to Vivacy and in particular development of hyaluronic acidwhich is at the heart of your industrial research and the development of medical applications for hyaluronic acid.
Can you tell us about Vivacy's current development in this sector?
Michel CHERON - First of all, Professor Benhamou, I'd like to thank you for approaching us to produce this document, because it's true that very little is said in the media about hyaluronic acid as a medical device. There's a lot of talk in the press, in the media, about hyaluronic acid in general, but it's very rare to talk about this molecule itself, which is a fantastic molecule used in many medical fields today.
At Vivacy, we use this raw material to produce our injectable gels with medical-grade quality. The realization and performance of our products then lie in the way we formulate the gels.s. We have a patent (IPN-Like) covering all our know-how.
These are tissue-injectable medical devices that are subject to new European regulations (MDR), the aim of which is to reinforce product monitoring and patient safety.
A.C. B. - Is it this elasticity that gives a "volume effect" when the gel is injected into the skin, allowing it to take its place to fill in a wrinkle?
M.C. - We thought differently than previous products, creating a rheology to inject in a given plane. The aim was to create volume in the face.
That's why we created IPN technology.
At the time, we met doctors who were developing lipofilling-like injection techniques for the face, using micro-cannulas. To achieve this, we needed products with sufficient elasticity to inject and project well into the tissues.
A whole new therapeutic vision has been developed to improve the management of facial aging.
A.C. B. - The formulations of HA gels show that is chemical bioengineering which has been used to better achieve therapeutic objectives and to better adapt to doctors' requests. Is this really the case?
M.C. - Yes, and we even responded fully to doctors' requests in advance... Because we wanted to go even further in the scientific approach to therapeutics for medical aesthetic practices.
A.C. B. - Yes, as a surgeon I can confirm that medical treatments for aesthetic purposes are a response to a real health need. It's a real treatment involving the creation of volumes through HA injections. The quality of the skin depends on its hydration, which is the key word to define the main property of hyaluronic acid. Its hydrating power is extraordinary.
M.C. - Indeed, we must not forget the revitalizing and hydrating action that HA induces.
The biological action of hyaluronic acid is easy to understand, since it is a molecule that is naturally present in all extracellular matrices. In addition to its mechanical action, it has also been shown to play a key role in biosynthesis and tissue regeneration mechanisms.
In this way, it can act on the quality of the skin of patients who demand immediate effects to erase the effects of ageing, or give an interesting radiance capable of fading the signs of skin fatigue.
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A.C. B. - What other medical needs, apart from cosmetic surgery and aesthetic dermatology, can HA meet? We've talked about its interest in osteoarthritis of the knee or other joints, since it's a product that's naturally present in synovial fluid, and when these joints are in pain, don't they need a lubricant?
M.C. - It's true that for both gonarthrosis and coxarthrosis, HA-based products existed before their use in aesthetic medicine. Recent studies have shown that indications have expanded.
While the initial focus was on older people with advanced arthritis, we now realize that this type of HA gel can also be used for young (or old) athletes.
And it's a therapy that has now been mastered and is used by a very large number of people. Aging joints are inevitable, and this therapeutic solution based on hyaluronic acid gels is an appropriate response. Numerous publications have demonstrated the effectiveness and mechanisms of action of these products in the joints.
A.C. B. - There are still many areas under development for HA uses. You mentioned gynecology, with a specially adapted AH, the Desirial®which a number of colleagues are familiar with, but not yet sufficiently so, it seems. It is used in particular in post-menopausal syndromes or after breast cancer with hormonal treatments, which will lead to vaginal dryness, urinary disorders and other symptoms that are difficult for women to cope with. What are Vivacy's messages on this subject?
M.C. - The problem is simple: until now, there have only been relatively restrictive solutions for treating these pathologies.
We have developed a hyaluronic acid gel designed mainly to moisturize the vestibule and introitus of the vagina, the main site of pain on intromission in the clinical pictures you mention in your question.
All these issues, in the context of post-breast cancer and post-menopausal survival treatments, are good indications for these injections. In this sense, we are fully committed to a supportive care approach to accompany these suffering patients.
But it has to be said that this is still a developing market with great potential, because it is little known to the general public.
But things are changing. Until recently, nobody talked about it, because it was taboo. In visits to gynecologists, very little was said about it. And these types of symptoms, such as painful discomfort in the genito-urinary area, or pain during sexual intercourse, are hidden problems.
This product Desirial®, has been on the market for eight years, we were pioneers. But little by little, we're finding that it's a solution that works perfectly, and gives rapid results, thanks to an injection that takes ten minutes in the doctor's office.
A.C. B. - Look and Medicine with the support of Vivacy, produced a special issue for the latest Pink October 2023 on this particular theme. It was presented to the European Parliament together with the French Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SGOF). Which means that awareness is growing! And the efforts and tenacity of the Vivacy laboratory have been remarkable.
M.C. - To generate innovation, you have to be tenacious. This is the daily work of our research, marketing and sales teams. We have been pioneers in all these fields. There are those who think and those who do.
There can be no innovation without investment capacity and the passion of major industrialists like Waldemar Kita, the previous CEO and founder of Vivacy.
Likewise, the creation of new products cannot be achieved without a relationship with high-level referral doctors. It is they who pass on new ideas to us. All our innovations are protected by worldwide patents. However, we will never know how to inject the products. That's why working in synergy with doctors is essential.
We are committed to making quality products that comply with regulations, so that they can be used under the right conditions by doctors, and above all, so that patients benefit both physically and sensorially, as well as psychologically.
Since the beginning of this interview, we've been talking about aesthetic dermatology, rheumatology, pain and intimate discomfort, all of which we can offer a real remedy for.
And if we're talking about public health benefits, I don't think these topics are sufficiently developed. We talk about aesthetics as a luxury, but people don't know much about this particular field of medicine, which corresponds to a real health need.
That's why I'd like to come back to the psychological aspect of this treatment. The aim is not just to make patients feel good, but above all to provide them with solutions that will improve every aspect of their daily lives.
A.C. B. - Mr. Chairman, to conclude this fascinating interview, how do you see your company's future prospects over the next 20 years? With hyaluronic acid, the Vivacy laboratory has set out with great faith in this very rich field. You've even created a "Vivacy Academy".
A.C. B. - Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, we're delighted to have this opportunity to talk to you.
In this special issue of L&M everything you've just mentioned: the different gels, the ways of producing them, the rheology of gels, etc., and above all, good ethical practice in the use of these products in all the clinical fields concerned.
Thanks to the Vivacy researchers, doctors and surgeons who are experts, trained and informed in the art of HA injections. In this special issue of L&M VIVACY the results of their work, under the direction of Professors Jean-Paul Méningaud and Barbara Hersant.
This will be an exciting issue: we hope it will help raise awareness of this magic molecule, HA, not only among doctors and surgeons, but also among the general public and public authorities.
Thanks to Vivacy for being a French company at the forefront of MEDTECH and innovative medical devices.
L&M is honored to welcome you to its columns.
