People who survive deep vein thrombosis can experience a painful secondary effect called lipodermatosclerosis, in which the skin of the lower leg thickens, turns brown and becomes painfully ulcerated. Now Johnson & Johnson reckons it has devised a cure (GB 2376886).
The condition is caused by small quantities of iron scavenged from blood, and can be alleviated by mopping up the iron. The patent suggests doing this with a simple ointment containing o-phenanthroline, a “chelating” compound that can grab hold of the iron atoms, rendering them harmless.
