LA Laker Pau Gasol Introduces New Technology Donated by Grifols to Pharmacy at Children's Hospital Los Angeles

New equipment designed to enhance safety and efficiency by automating quality control oversight during compounding of medications

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Mar 26, 2012, 03:05 ET

LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles Lakers' power forward Pau Gasol has partnered with Grifols, a Barcelona-based global health care company with U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles, to bring new technology to the pediatric pharmacy at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The new Phocus Rx system will automate quality control oversight during the preparation of pediatric medications. "It's a win-win-win for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, for Grifols and for patient and families," said Gasol.

A charitable donation from Grifols, the Phocus Rx system is designed to enhance the safety of compounding medicines while also improving efficiency and workflow in the sterile compounding pharmacy at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The equipment visualizes and records pharmacy compounding procedures so that pharmacists can remotely validate the pharmacy technician's activity and ensure its accuracy.

Gasol facilitated the donation through his personal connections with both Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Grifols, a company based in his native city of Barcelona. As a former pre-med student with a strong interest in medicine, Gasol is a frequent visitor and champion for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he observed spinal surgery in 2010.

"Just as teamwork is critical in sports, I think it is essential to form partnerships between businesses, nonprofits and government agencies," said Gasol. "Pairing Grifols with Children's Hospital Los Angeles seemed like a natural fit, and I was happy to bridge the connection."

As a pediatric hospital that treats many children who have rare and serious illnesses, Children's Hospital Los Angeles tailors its treatments to the unique medical needs of each patient, said Carol Taketomo, director of Pharmacy at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

"In order to make sure that the right medication gets to the right patient at the correct dose, we have a required process of checks and double checks," said Taketomo. The Grifols Phocus Rx system adds an additional measure of safety. We are excited to have new technology that enhances our workflow efficiency and serves as an important quality-control check in our pharmacy validation process."

In addition to Phocus Rx, Grifols will donate an inventory management system to the hospitals' pharmacy infusion center that will automate the cataloguing and inventory control of medicines and compounds, thereby enhancing efficiency and speeding the delivery of prescriptions to pediatric patients.

About Grifols

Grifols, S.A. is a global healthcare company that specializes in the pharmaceutical and hospital sectors. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Grifols has a presence in more than 100 countries and is the third largest global producer of therapies derived from human plasma. A vertically integrated company, Grifols is the world leader in plasma collection, with 147 plasma donation centers across the United States. Grifols owns and operates three state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in California (Los Angeles), North Carolina and Spain, allowing the company to respond to the growing market demand for plasma-derived therapies.

Since 2006, the ordinary shares of Grifols (class A) have been quoted on the Mercado Continuo Espanol and since 2008 they have been on the Ibex-35 (GRF). Starting in June 2011, the non-voting shares of Grifols (class B) were also quoted on the Mercado Continuo (GRF.P) and on the U.S. NASDAQ (GRFS) through ADRs (American Depository Receipts).

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's hospital in California and among the best in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious US News & World Report Honor Roll. Children's Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. The hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog: WeAreChildrens.org.

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