Nexoberide Gel, a treatment that removes dead skin tissues caused by burns, obtained approval in Korea, giving burn patients an additional treatment option.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday granted the license to the treatment, which is used to remove necrotic skin tissues from second- or third-degree burns. The gel won the nod as an orphan medicine.

Physicians remove necrosis caused by burns surgically. However, Nexobride Gel helps naturally remove necrotic tissues when applied to the skin.

The gel does not affect normal tissues. Only four hours of the gel application shortens the time of skin implantation and accelerates the treatment. After using the gel and removing the dead skin, physicians can decide whether to proceed with skin implantation.

Developed by Israel’s MediWound, Nexobride Gel uses “concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain,” extracted from pineapple stalk. The drug is sold in Europe, Japan, and Israel. Also, it was designated as an experimental medicine in the U.S.

According to MediWound, Nexobride Gel reduced the tissue implantation ratio to 17.9 percent, whereas that of conventional treatments was 34.1 percent.

However, burn patients should not apply the gel on more than 15 percent of the body surface area. Those who are sensitive to pineapple or papain should not use the treatment. The treatment is also banned for the genital and perineal area, electric burns, and face burns.