Health Robotics Expands IV Bag Support to Hospira's LifeCareTM; Cuts Fresenius Support After RIVA Decision

BOZEN, SUD-TIROL, Italy, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Health Robotics today announced that in response to competitive trends and overwhelming customer demand, it recently added support for LifeCare, while withdrawing sales support for all Fresenius Kabi's IV consumables for all of its Robots. Health Robotics maintained its current support for IV Bags from Baxter (Aviva, Viaflo, Viaflex, INTRAVIA^TM), Hospira (VisIV^TM), B.Braun (PAB® and Excel®), Grifols (Fleboflex®, Flebobag®), Otsuka, Impromediform, and Terumo.

Gaspar DeViedma, Health Robotics' Executive Vice President and Board Member, stated: "Just as an example of the wide choice of IV consumables we offer, Health Robotics supports 13 different brands of IV Bags, compared to most IV Robots supporting just 1 brand of IV Bags, or at most 2 brands. We don't charge the IV consumables companies to develop support for their products' use with our Robots, and consequently we reserve the right to withdraw support at any time. Fresenius Kabi's decision to enter the IV Automation market with the acquisition of Medical Dispensing and PharmaHelp as a replacement of IHS/RIVA [thus downgrading to a non-Robotic obsolete device] and the recent installation in Australia of PharmaHelp http://www.medicaldispensing.nl/news/, certainly means that Health Robotics has the option to respond in kind to these new industry events, http://www.fresenius-kabi.de/files/21_01_PM_Pharmahelp_Launch_final.pdf

Consequently, Health Robotics announced the immediate discontinuation of new global sales support for all Fresenius Kabi IV products (Bags, Syringes, etc.) due to their limited customer demand, coupled with the Fresenius Kabi's decision to attempt to compete with Health Robotics, Intelligent Hospital Systems/RIVA, and other IV Automation companies, after its failed 4-year-old IHS/RIVA chemotherapy robot implementation: http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/australias-leading-oncology-drug-compounder-chooses-riva-system-155239835.html

Mr. DeViedmacontinued: "Acting on self-interest to stop sales support of Fresenius Kabi's' IV consumables, we send a clear message that we will continue to react in a similar manner if other companies that need IV consumables compatibility with our Robots attempt to directly compete with Health Robotics and take advantage of our research and development efforts. I personally witnessed the disappointment that two Fresenius Kabi's executives shared with me during my recent visit to Australia, after Fresenius Kabi's 4-year repeated failures on TGA inspections to obtain regulatory approval for its installed RIVA unit, and after a $5M investment for a single Robot. Nevertheless, Health Robotics needs to protect its own interests, and solely continue product development cooperation with other companies that are not our direct competitors, whether we are dealing with IV Bags, IV Bottles, Syringes, Caps, CSTDs, Needles, or other IV consumables."

About Health Robotics:

Founded in 2006 and now reaching 80% total IV Robots market share in the world [including over 90% the Oncology Robots global market], Health Robotics is the undisputed leading supplier of life-critical intravenous medication robots, providing over 350 hospital installations in 5 continents with the only fully-integrated robotics-based technology, IV Workflow, and manual compounding software automation solution. Health Robotics' second generation products [i.v.STATION, i.v.SOFT, and i.v.STATION ONCO] have been found [through scientific and peer-reviewed studies^[1],[2] to greatly contribute to ease hospitals' growing pressures to improve patient safety^[1], increase throughput, and contain costs^[1]. Through the effective and efficient production of sterile, accurate, tamper-evident and ready-to-administer IVs, Health Robotics' medical devices and integrated workflow solutions help hospitals eliminate life-threatening drug^[1] and diluent^[1] exchange errors, improve drug potency^[2], decrease other medical mistakes and sterility risks, work more efficiently^[1], reduce waste and controlled substances' diversion, and diminish the gap between rising patient volume/acuity and scarce nursing, and pharmacy staff. For more information, please visit: http://www.health-robotics.com

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1. Impact of Robotic Antineoplastic Preparation on Safety, Workflow, Costs. Seger, Churchill, Keohane, Belisle, Wong, Sylvester, Chesnick, Burdick, Wien, Cotugno, Bates, and Rothschild. Brigham & Women's Hospital, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and Harvard Medical School. Journal of Oncology Practice, Nov. 2012, Volume 8, number 6.

2. Validation of an automated method for compounding monoclonal antibody patient doses: case studies of Avastin®, Remicade®, and Herceptin®. Peters, Capelle, Arvinte, van de Garde. St. Antonius Hospital. mAbs January 2013, Volume 5, Issue 1.

For additional information, please contact:
[email protected]
Phone +1-786-417-1251

SOURCE Health Robotics