Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd. (“Toyo Seikan Group Holdings” Tokyo 5901; President: Takuji Nakamura) and Nippon Zoki Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Nippon Zoki Pharmaceutical”; President & CEO: Takafumi Konishi) have together developed Deolica® deodorizing sheets for medical and nursing care. These hygiene care products suppress odors from malignant fungating wounds, pressure ulcers, and human excretions, helping to solve odor issues in medical and nursing settings.
The product is slated for rollout to medical institutions and nursing care facilities nationwide in the 2025 fiscal year.
1. A wound that occurs as cancers such as breast cancer or head and neck cancer progress, in which the tumor breaks through the skin and becomes exposed and the tumor tissue becomes necrotic (tumor breakdown). It may be accompanied by pain, bleeding, and a foul odor.
2. A condition in which prolonged immobility, such as being bedridden, causes sustained pressure from body weight to impede blood flow at certain sites, leading to redness, rawness, or wounds on the skin; also called bedsores.
The product is a roll-type deodorizing sheet that is wrapped over bandages or other dressings that protect affected skin. Its processing and properties leverage the deodorizing chemical adsorption power of Deolica®, a deodorant whose main component is porous silica and whose safety on skin has been proven. It suppresses odors from malignant fungating wounds, pressure ulcers, and human excretions and can be used in medical and nursing care settings.
*Certain details, such as the product name and specifications, are still being discussed and coordinated by the companies.
In medical and nursing care settings, odors from illness, wounds, and excreta have long been a challenge, and their psychological burden can affect not only the patients themselves but also the healthcare professionals and caregivers who interact with them and even nearby patients.
Toyo Seikan Group has already made Deolica®—a deodorant that combines rapid deodorization with multi-odor control—available as an agent and care product in locations such as hair salons. With the goal of solving odor issues in medical and nursing care environments, we began a joint research project with Nippon Zoki Pharmaceutical using Deolica® technology, repeatedly refining the product with insights gained through feedback from medical institutions and nursing facilities. As a result, we developed a new roll-type sheet product. Balancing deodorizing performance with user-friendliness informed by on-site needs, it will help to resolve odor problems in medical and nursing settings nationwide. To broaden its applicability, the two companies are now considering adaptations into aerosol and misting sprays and direct medical device category wound dressings.