Press Release Source: Haemonetics
Haemonetics to Market First Non-Invasive Test for Blood Hematocrit
Friday July 9, 4:30 pm ET
BRAINTREE, Mass., July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Haemonetics Corporation
announced that it will market Crit-Scan®, the first device to measure the
hematocrit in blood without a painful needle stick to the finger or ear.
Haemonetics and Hema Metrics Corp. of Kaysville, Utah, the developer and
manufacturer of Crit-Scan, have signed an agreement for exclusive worldwide
marketing effective for 5 years. No other terms of the agreement were
disclosed.
Haemonetics will market Crit-Scan to blood collectors who are required to
measure a blood donor's hematocrit prior to donation to confirm the level of
a donor's red blood cells. Traditionally, blood collectors have used a
needle stick to the finger or earlobe of a potential donor to obtain a drop
of blood for hematocrit testing. The Crit-Scan technology is non-invasive
and measures hematocrit through the skin.
"Crit-Scan is leading edge technology," said Mark Popovsky, M.D., Corporate
Medical Director for Haemonetics. "Many blood donors find the invasive
hematocrit tests very uncomfortable. Non-donors sometimes cite the test as a
reason not to donate blood. With Crit-Scan, we can offer our customers the
benefit of a comfortable process for their own 'customer' -- the blood
donor -- while ensuring the consistent, accurate test results so necessary
in this regulated environment. We believe our customers will use this device
as a donor recruitment tool."
"The technology has demonstrated excellent results in quality and user-
friendliness in our initial field evaluation tests. We believe it will be
well received by the blood collection community. We plan to introduce the
technology in late summer in the U.S. and Europe this year with expansion
into Japan to follow," Dr. Popovsky added.
Crit-Scan has been regulatory-cleared in the U.S. and Europe. There are
about 15 million units of blood donated each year in the U.S. and about 40
million donated worldwide. Every blood donation must be preceded by a
hematocrit test.
"We are very excited about the addition of the Crit-Scan to our product
offerings. Like most of our products, the Crit-Scan business model is based
on consumables so there is a strong fit with Haemonetics' sales strategy,"
said Peter Allen, President of Haemonetics' Donor Division.
Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE - News) is a global company engaged in the design,
manufacture and worldwide marketing of automated blood processing systems.
These systems address important medical markets: surgical blood salvage,
blood component collection, plasma collection, and blood component safety.
To learn more about Haemonetics' products and markets, visit its web site at
http://www.haemonetics.com.
Hema Metrics is a private company that designs and develops non-invasive
technology for blood measurement. Visit its web site
http://www.hemametrics.com.
This release contains forward looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties, including technological advances in the medical field and
standards for transfusion medicine and our ability to successfully implement
products that incorporate such advances and standards, product demand,
market acceptance, regulatory uncertainties, the effect of economic and
political conditions, the impact of competitive products and pricing, blood
product reimbursement policies and practices, foreign currency exchange
rates, changes in customers' ordering patterns, the effect of communicable
diseases and the effect of uncertainties in markets outside the U.S.
(including Europe and Asia) in which we operate and other risks detailed in
the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The
forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by
management of the Company and are believed to be reasonable, though are
inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results and experience
could differ materially from the forward-looking statements.
Crit-Scan is a registered trademark of Hema Metrics Corporation.
Contact:
Julie Fallon
Tel. (781) 356-9517
Alt. Tel. (617) 320-2401
fallon@haemonetics.com
Contact:
Patrick Moriarty, CEO, Hema Metrics Corp
Tel. (801) 451-9000 ext. 103
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