On the 23rd February 2024, the JWC awards ceremony was held at the Imperial War Museum in London. This ceremony celebrates the hard work, dedication and achievements of leading individuals and organisations within the field of wound care. Industry partners have the opportunity to sponsor an award, to further recognise and support this work. Antimicrobial Stewardship Recognition Flen Health sponsored the ‘Antimicrobial Stewardship’ category. As concerns surrounding antibiotic and antimicrobial overuse and resistance continue to rise, antimicrobial stewardship has become increasingly important. This award category acknowledged organisations, researchers and health care professionals promoting the appropriate use of antimicrobial dressings, as an alternative to antibiotics for wound infections. About Flen Health Flen Health began as a company in 1999, with its first product, Flamigel ®. In 2005, Flaminal ® was launched for acute and chronic wounds, and wounds at risk of infection, offering a novel approach to manage wound exudate, aid autolytic debridement and reduce bioburden. Flaminal ® is composed of a hydrated alginate matrix, a debriding gel and a unique antimicrobial enzyme enzyme system. This system consists of two naturally occurring enzymes, glucose oxidase and lactoperoxidase, stabilised by guaiacol to kill a range of gram positive and gram negative bactera and fungi1. The enzyme system is non-cytotoxic, as it only acts on bacteria absorbed into the gel matrix, and to this date no instances of antimicrobial resistance to the enzyme system have have been recorded2. On behalf of all at Flen Health, we want to congratulate those shortlisted for this award, and the winner: Iva Pranjic. References1. De Smet, K. et al. Pre-clinical evaluation of a new antimicrobial enzyme for the control of wound2. Gottrup F, Apelqvist J, Bjarnsholt T et al (2013) J Wound Care 22 (5): S1-S92 bioburden. Wounds. 2009, 21(3): 65 - 73
