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Press Releases
3.17.08
Ventrus Biosciences and Sam Amer & Company Sign Exclusive License Agreement to Develop Novel Topical Treatment for Hemorrhoids
10.29.07
Six Finalists Selected for the BioWest 2007 Venture Showcase Competition, Presenting World-Changing Technologies
About Anal Fissure
An anal fissure is a crack in the skin of the anal canal. Typical symptoms are severe pain and bleeding with or after bowel movements. Elevated resting tone of the internal anal sphincter might cause poor perfusion of the skin and the failure of the anal fissure to heal. There are no approved pharmacologic products for the treatment of anal fissure. The purpose of surgery is to reduce the elevated resting tone of the internal anal sphincter by either manual dilatation or lateral sphincterotomy. Both procedures successfully promote healing of anal fissure but have been associated with fecal incontinence.
About Fecal Incontinence
Continence of solid stool is maintained by the internal and external anal sphincters. Direct damage to the anal sphincters can disrupt continence. Specific causes of fecal incontinence include obstetrical injury; prior anorectal surgery, such as ileal pouch anal anastomosis; fecal impaction; sphincter trauma; cancer; and neurologic disease. There are no approved products for the treatment of fecal incontinence. The most common surgical procedure for fecal incontinence is sphincteroplasty for patients with physical injury to the anal sphincter, but success rates for this type of surgery are low.
About Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are a common anal disorder characterized by bleeding, itching, pain, swelling, tenderness, and difficulty with defecating. Hemorrhoids are pathologic dilatations of the normal vascular beds in the anal and rectal regions. Although the mechanism for hemorrhoid formation is unclear, progressive occlusion of venous exit vessels (as can occur in straining during defecation, heavy lifting, and pregnancy) is thought to produce stretching of vessels and vascular stasis. As hemorrhoids worsen, the trapped blood forms piles (protruding skin folds filled with static and thrombosed blood) initially above the line that marks the end of the rectum and the beginning of the anal canal (internal hemorrhoids) and then below the line (external hemorrhoids). There are no prescription products currently approved for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Products used for hemorrhoids do not affect the underlying causes and provide only symptomatic relief. Patients with persistent symptoms, especially bleeding, progress invasive procedures, such as rubber band ligation, which involves banding the internal hemorrhoid for 4 to 7 days.
Useful Links
These links are provided for convenience only and the inclusion of a link does not indicate an endorsement by Ventrus Biosciences of any third party or any third-party website. In addition, linked websites are not under the control of Ventrus Biosciences, and Ventrus Biosciences is not responsible for their content.
American College of Gastroenterology
American Gastroenterological Association
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
Digestive Disease National Coalition
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
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