Placentrex Gel for Diabetic Ulcers
Placentrex (human placental extract) gel shows promise as an adjunctive therapy for diabetic foot ulcers, with moderate-quality evidence demonstrating that placental membrane products improve complete healing rates when added to standard wound care.
Evidence for Placental Products in Diabetic Ulcers
The available evidence supports the use of placental-derived products, though the specific formulation matters:
Moderate-quality evidence from 11 randomized controlled trials demonstrates that placental membrane allografts improve the proportion of completely healed diabetic foot ulcers at both 6 and 12 weeks when added to standard wound care 1.
One RCT showed placental membrane allografts were superior to allogeneic skin substitutes, though this finding requires replication in additional studies 1.
A 2021 comprehensive review confirms that placentally-derived products have supporting evidence for healing diabetic foot ulcers 2.
Comparative Effectiveness
When comparing different placental products:
A 2018 multicenter trial comparing viable cryopreserved placental membrane (vCPM) to human fibroblast-derived dermal substitute showed that for wounds ≤5 cm², 81.3% of vCPM-treated wounds achieved complete closure versus 37.5% with the comparator (p=0.0118) 3.
The same study demonstrated significant cost savings with placental membrane products: average per-patient costs were $3,846 for vCPM versus $7,968 for the alternative (p<0.0001) 3.
Clinical Application Algorithm
For diabetic foot ulcers, consider placental extract gel when:
- Standard wound care alone has not achieved adequate healing progress after 2-4 weeks 1
- The ulcer is ≤5 cm² in size (where evidence is strongest) 3
- The patient has adequate vascular supply to support healing 1
Expected outcomes:
- Improved complete healing rates at 6-12 weeks compared to standard care alone 1
- Potentially faster time to complete wound healing 1
Important Caveats
Placental products should supplement, not replace, standard wound care including offloading, infection control, and glycemic management 1.
The quality and biological activity of placental preparations can vary significantly between products and batches, which may explain variable clinical outcomes 2.
Safety profile appears favorable with no treatment-related serious adverse events reported in major trials 1, 3.