Merakris Therapeutics announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has assigned a Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) product code Q4248 for its topical skin graft substitute, Dermacyte Matrix.
The new HCPCS code, effective July 1, 2020, enables physician office reimbursement under Medicare Part B. Dermacyte Matrix is a crosslinked amniotic membrane allograft designed for cutaneous wound applications, commonly used by outpatient surgical, podiatry and dermatology clinics. Dermacyte is available in dehydrated and hydrated configurations with 5 years of shelf stability at room temperature.
“This is another milestone for Merakris Therapeutics that the largest healthcare payer, CMS, has recognized Dermacyte Matrix with a unique reimbursement code. This strengthens our position with broader payer coverage for Dermacyte Matrix,” says Chris Broderick, CEO of Merakris. “We are dedicated to continued leadership in cell-free biologics and have aligned with academic institutions to support its product development and commercial operations while retaining full rights to our intellectual property.”
Merakris has developed a novel purification system yielding two separate amniotic biomolecule fractions, one capable of promoting early-stage cutaneous wound healing, and the second fraction promoting late stage wound healing, including epithelialization and re-keratinization. Dr. W. Sam Fagg, MSc., PhD says “this technology distinguishes our value proposition to physicians and payers.” Merakris has successfully combined these with Dermacyte Matrix to demonstrate improved healing outcomes in cutaneous ulcers. Pursuant to recent FDA guidance, Merakris has completed a pre-IND meeting with the FDA and is preparing an IND to further develop the use of this technology in combination with Dermacyte Matrix.