Overview

Arch Therapeutics, Inc. (Arch) is a biotechnology company developing an innovative, elegant, and superior approach to the rapid cessation of bleeding (hemostasis*) and control of fluid leakage (sealant) during surgery and trauma care. The underlying technology, exclusively licensed from a leading university, supports an innovative platform of smart materials that fulfill the criteria as a solution for a specialized field we call, “stasis and barrier applications.”

Physicians, industry and patients could benefit greatly from a universal sealant for the challenges presented when an opening is created in the body, whether via surgery, trauma, colonoscopy biopsy, device implantation, or in a variety of consumer settings. The surgeon must manage and preferably prevent bleeding and leakage, as well as other challenges. Currently available tools designed to resolve these problems are often inadequate.

Arch intends to transform the landscape of interventional healthcare with products to seal and protect leaking and bleeding tissue. Arch’s solution elegantly controls the movement of these fluids and substances.

Arch’s products are currently progressing in preclinical development. The first product, AC5^® Surgical Hemostatic Device, is designed to achieve hemostasis in minimally invasive (laparoscopic**) and open surgical procedures and is intended to be regulated as a medical device.

Surgeons would deem the product a “must have” because of its tremendous features, making it very different and far advanced compared to anything currently on the market.

AC5^® stops bleeding promptly. Unlike many competitive products, it conforms to irregular wound geometry, allows for normal healing, and helps maintain a clear field of vision directly into the wound area.

Because it is not sticky or glue-like, it is ideal for use in the laparoscopic setting – a challenge for much of the competition. Furthermore, it is transparent, enabling a surgeon to operate through it in order to prophylactically stop bleeding as it starts – an important advancement we have branded as Crystal Clear Surgery™.

Most importantly, time to hemostasis (TTH) for AC5^® is typically measured in seconds, rather than the many minutes as provided by much of the competition.

In preclinical tests, the AC5^® Surgical Hemostatic Device has been simple, effective, and versatile. To date, biocompatibility has been excellent and healing of tissue treated with the device has been normal. This extraordinary concept, if successfully proven clinically, could eventually lead to product adoption available in every surgical setting across the globe.

*Hemostasis or haemostasis (from the Ancient Greek: αἱμόστασις haimóstasis "styptic (drug)") is the process of stopping bleeding, or preventing blood from leaking from damaged blood vessels and tissues. (The opposite of hemostasis is hemorrhage.)

**Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimally invasive surgery (MIS), or keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique in which operations are performed through small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) as opposed to the larger incisions needed in open surgery. Keyhole surgery makes use of images displayed on TV monitors to magnify the surgical elements.