8th July 2008, Sydney: SomnoMed Limited (ASX: SOM), maker of the leading dental Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS) to treat sleep apnea and snoring, announced today the appointment of Intus Healthcare Limited as their distribution partner for the United Kingdom market.
Intus provides integrated treatment plans tailored to patient’s budgets and needs covering: education, screening and diagnostics, positive airway pressure therapy as well as nutrition and lifestyle programs.
The Executive Vice President of SomnoMed’s European operations, Sergio Herrandiz Gil, identified Intus Healthcare in the UK as the most suitable partner to introduce the SomnoDent™ MAS treatment solution for patients suffering from sleep disordered breathing.
“We are very proud to have gained an experienced and well established company such as Intus as our UK distribution partner for our SomnoDent™ products. It is important for us to be able to partner with one of the market leaders in the provision of sleep therapy in one of the most important European markets”, said Herrandiz Gil.
“With years of experience in providing homecare solutions such as in-home screening and CPAP to patients across England, Scotland and Wales, Intus Healthcare have all the attributes we were looking for in a distribution partner.”
With over 60 million people and a large proportion of snorers, the UK is a very important sleep apnea market in Europe. Strategically located on the outskirts of London, Intus Healthcare has long since realized that the predicament for sufferers of sleep related breathing disorders in the UK required drastic changes.
Intus Healthcare stated, “The more patients we treated with PAP, the more we realised there was a need for a suitable alternative, whether for permanent use after non-compliance or as a temporary relief, for example when travelling. When we discovered the SomnoDent™ MAS, we were quickly convinced that we had found the missing link in our multifaceted treatment approach. By being able to offer a clinically validated oral appliance, we can help many more patients in their quest to renewed health”. Intus launched the SomnoDent™ MAS at the British Dental Association’s conference and exhibition in Manchester in May this year and later at the British Society of Dental Sleep Medicine’s scientific symposium in Oxford in June.
SomnoMed CEO Ralf Barschow said, “We are very happy to welcome Intus as a new member of our SomnoDent™ European distribution network. The progress we are making across Europe is very pleasing. I am confident that we will see strong unit sales in the UK in the coming financial year.”
About Intus Healthcare Ltd
Focused on offering choice to the growing market of Sleep Apnoea patients, Intus Healthcare provides the largest offering of sleep therapy products to private patients in the Western European market. Patients who no longer wish to rely on inefficient government-funded programmes for their precious health can rely on Intus Healthcare for state of the art therapy equipment and efficient patient education and support. Built upon many years of experience in the field of therapy for sleep-disordered breathing, customers can trust Intus Healthcare to help them back on track to optimal health.
Intus has developed a multi-disciplinary approach to the screening and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing patients. We utilise the benefits of 24 / 7 internet access and years of healthcare marketing experience to help thousands of people annually with sleep enquiries and solutions. This approach, supported by an outstanding medical advisory board provides the general public with:
1. PATIENT EDUCATION
2. SCREENING & TESTING
3. THERAPEUTIC PRODUCTS
4. NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE PROGRAMS
www.intushealthcare.eu
How the SomnoDent™ MAS works
The medical term for your lower jaw is ‘mandible’ and an oral appliance worn over the teeth is a ‘splint’, hence the name SomnoDent™ Mandibular Advancement Splint, or SomnoDent™ MAS.
The SomnoDent™ MAS consists of two acrylic plates fitted over the upper and low teeth. A patented fin coupling mechanism on the lower arch accurately positions the lower jaw (mandible) a little forward of its natural position.
This positioning tightens the soft tissue at the back of the throat to stop it from collapsing – the cause of snoring (partial collapse) and sleep apnoea (full collapse). SomnoDent™ MAS allows the normal opening and closing of the mouth, allowing the user to yawn, speak and drink. The device will last 5 years and comes with a warranty.
The SomnoDent™ MAS is provided to patients through an integrated clinical protocol, involving dentists, primary care practitioners and sleep physicians. This pathway ensures that all patients are appropriately diagnosed and that only suitable patients are fitted with the device.
Contact:
Ralf Barschow
CEO, SomnoMed Limited
02 9467
Kamini Rambausek
Monsoon Communications
042003 9620 3333
