There is considerable evidence that the application of local anesthetics in topical formulations can be used successfully in a number of clinical situations, such as numbing of the skin before insertion of a peripheral venous catheter or blood drawing. A few local anaesthetic/local anaesthetic combinations are approved for use in children. However, there is currently no local anaesthetic combination approved for application in open wounds, which set specific requirements to the formulation. In the emergency room cutaneous lacerations that need to be sutured are often treated with infiltration (injection) of local anaesthetic before stitching the wound. Off-label use of a mixture of local anaesthetics and adrenaline (contemporary compounding) may also be used in children to avoid injection. In children, it is a considerable advantage that the administration of local anaesthetic is needle-free. However, applying this mixture often causes an unpleasant stinging sensation, decreasing feasibility. This can probably be avoided by adjusting the mixture of the three ingredients and/or the pH of the gel. At the same time the mixture should be a sterile product because it is intended for application in open wounds. Cessatech intends to develop a ready to use local anaesthetic gel, that does not sting when administered for laceration repair in the emergency department, e.g. before suturing.
Cessatech has not yet communicated on its timelines for initiating the development of CT003.