Plasma Instead of Antibiotics
Interview with Uwe Perbandt, CEO of Viromed Medical GmbH
What began with an accident and a homemade experiment turned into a medical revolution. Uwe Perbandt, CEO of Viromed Medical, has tapped into a billion-dollar market with his plasma technology. His devices heal chronic wounds in six weeks, where conventional therapies fail. Now, the Hamburg-based company is on the verge of an international breakthrough.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Perbandt, from today's perspective, what steps were crucial for your company?
Uwe Perbandt: It all started in 2004 with a personal experience. I had a minor accident and experimented with cold plasma on my own wound because I wasn't in the mood to disinfect. My doctor was astonished – after four weeks everything had healed, although it usually takes much longer. That was the starting signal. In Diabetic Foot Syndrome, cold plasma is not just something new or better – it has become the gold standard in dermatology. Every study without exception shows the revolutionary effect on wound healing, all without side effects. The biggest opponent of our idea wasn't the professional journals or the lack of studies – it was the wound dressing industry: A chronic pressure sore costs on average 7,500 EUR per year, two-thirds of that for wound dressings. For diabetic foot, it's 12,500 EUR. Then we come along and close chronic wounds by 85% within six weeks, over 90% within ten weeks. This threatens a billion-dollar market.
Wirtschaftsforum: Aren't insurers also the ones who resist new approaches?
Uwe Perbandt: Interestingly, private health insurances have been happily paying for cold plasma treatment for two years now. They have realized: A patient with a chronic wound costs between 6,000 and 8,000 EUR – so they prefer to say 'go ahead with a plasma treatment'. Meanwhile, on request, every public health insurance also pays. The valuation committee has already rated the service – between 20.98 and 35 EUR. This is a blessing for the patient and a huge potential for cost savings for the insurances.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is the current setup of your company?
Uwe Perbandt: We have our main location near Hamburg with the complete manufacturing plant and headquarters. We handle the business in Germany in many medical areas ourselves, because we are excellently networked and conduct very good medical marketing. In 2021, we generated 134 million EUR in turnover without traditional distribution. Abroad, we work with distributors.
Wirtschaftsforum: How has the development been in recent years?
Uwe Perbandt: Revenue is increasing enormously. We first explained to the doctors what cold atmospheric plasma is and what it can do. We receive 20 to 30 inquiries daily from doctors who want a device. Our recipe for success: We let doctors test the device for six weeks for free, including consumables. The closing rate was 100% - every time. For example, we did an advertising campaign with 1,200 naturopaths and immediately equipped 300 practices. We work here with about 20 people. Even if we increase our turnover tenfold next year, which is indicated, we will not need much more staff. We deliberately chose our new device, which is like a quantum leap.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is special about your new device?
Uwe Perbandt: The old device weighed 600 g and had to be placed on the wound. The new device weighs about 160 g and is guided like a pen. The cold plasma is applied without touching the skin. With this, for example, we can treat athlete's foot in a maximum of two treatments, and herpes on the lips also in two treatments. The device is a genuine plug-and-play system and lasts 45 minutes on one charge.
Wirtschaftsforum: Are you also working on applications for the lungs?
Uwe Perbandt: This is our revolution. We have 600,000 severe post-operative infections per year in Germany, 21,000 deaths due to infections that are not reported. MRSA bacteria, which no antibiotic can combat anymore, are a silent pandemic. With our Pulmo-Plas, we can reduce the mortality rate from over 40% to nearly zero in ventilated patients. We kill all bacteria in the lungs within 90 seconds, including MRSA.
Wirtschaftsforum: What are the reasons for your success and what are your future plans?
Uwe Perbandt: I recognized the problem early and went directly to Professor Welte in Hanover, the leading global expert in pulmonary medicine. Initially, he thought my idea was science fiction, but it piqued his interest. Today, the MHH, the Helmholtz Institute Braunschweig, and the University of Jena are collaborating with us – a research lead of four to five years. By now, it almost runs on its own: The German Center for Lung Research has published about a private company like ours for the first time. Doctors are turning to us on their own, and one device is profitable after just a few patients. By 2027, I expect a stock value of at least 11 EUR.