BRAINTREE, Mass., July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Haemonetics Corporation announced that it will market Crit-Scan(R), 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 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 pmoriarty@hemametrics.com
Haemonetics
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 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 pmoriarty@hemametrics.com
Haemonetics
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