| This is also why enrollment has been so robust. Remember, we started this trial in the second quarter of 2013, with the first patient enrolled in the middle of June. In approximately 4 months, we reached 50% of our minimum enrollment target. In contrast, it took approximately 9 months to reach the same number of enrolled patients in the previous SANUWAVE trial. We remain on track to meet our goal of completing enrollment by 1Q 2014. While we are pleased with the number of enrolled patients, it is the quality of the patient—and of the study in general--that really matters to the FDA, and to healthcare providers. As mentioned during the last call, this trial was carefully designed to supplement the original Phase 3 trial that was conducted from 2007 to 2010. It is a prospective, randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded clinical study incorporating data from the previous trial, based on input and guidance from the FDA. One major change from the last study is the number of treatments. Based on previous data from both humans and animals, we have doubled the number of dermaPACE applications, which should increase the complete closure difference between the dermaPACE and sham arms of the study at the 12-week primary endpoint. It is unusual to double the number of treatments of any investigational product, from one clinical trial to the next, without having safety concerns. However, this change was easy to make, given the FDA’s confidence in the safety of dermaPACE technology. This trial is being conducted in a way that will avoid the some of the risks that were in the previous trial, and thereby increase our probability of success. For example, we have added additional top investigators in the field of diabetic foot ulcers. These investigators were chosen, based not on academic reputation alone, but also on a proven track record of delivering high quality data in a timely manner. In addition, patients must qualify based on rigorous study entry criteria. Not any patient with a diabetic foot ulcer can be included in the trial—only those that have a diabetic foot ulcer with the size, severity, and duration that makes spontaneous resolution unlikely. These are patients that need help in healing their ulcers. The quality of this trial is further enhanced by the refined definition of wound closure, including third-party review of digital photographs by medical experts, which serves as a “quality check” on the investigator’s assessment. This controls for the variability in assessing wound closure across the sites, which was an issue in the last trial. There are others ways in which this trial is different from the past trial. The SANUWAVE clinical team is very experienced in conducting clinical trials, and is engaged in an on-going process of site evaluation. | |