ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smith & Nephew Inc's Advanced Wound Management division today announced the U.S. launch of its next Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) product, the new RENASYS(TM) GO, designed to address the needs of clinicians and their active, mobile patients. With the recently launched RENASYS(TM) EZ, Smith & Nephew now offers NPWT devices for the continuum of wound care. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently cleared the RENASYS(TM) GO system and it will be available in March 2009.
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Smith & Nephew designed the RENASYS(TM) GO system to maintain the patient's dignity at home, on the go, in long-term care or any environment where the active, mobile patient must be compliant with NWPT to promote wound healing. The RENASYS(TM) GO is intuitive, lightweight, portable and quiet, and can be used with the RENASYS(TM)-F foam and RENASYS(TM)-G gauze wound interfaces, the broadest selection of interfaces available from a single supplier. This enables clinicians to tailor NPWT to meet their patients' unique needs and the specific requirements of their wounds, with clear improvements in patient comfort, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.
"Smith & Nephew understands that in the more ambulatory wound care environments, ease of use and cost effectiveness are paramount," said Joe Woody, President, Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management. "That's why we designed the RENASYS(TM) GO to be easy for the caregiver to use, simple for the patient to manage, and compatible with our new RENASYS(TM)-F foam dressings as well as RENASYS(TM)-G gauze kits, which can be more cost-effective."
Southern Ontario-based Nursing Practice Solutions Inc. conducted a study in Canada comparing average total costs required to treat patients with conventional dressings to the same costs required to treat patients with gauze- and foam-based NPWT, in cases for which NPWT was appropriate. The study found that the cost-per-patient treated with NPWT was 55% less than the cost-per-patient treated with conventional dressings, and that wounds treated with NPWT healed more quickly than wounds treated with conventional dressings. Among patients treated with NPWT, there was no difference in healing times between wounds dressed with foam and those dressed with gauze.
Mr. Woody added, "By providing clinicians with greater choice in NPWT, we believe that we can drive greater clinical innovation and research, improved patient outcomes, and greater value for healthcare organizations."
RENASYS GO Features and Functions
In addition to its small, easy to carry footprint and quiet operation, Smith & Nephew designed RENASYS(TM) GO with the additional features customers want to support the patient's dignity and facilitate its ease of use.
"Wound care patients deserve discretion and mobility," said Robin Carlstein, Senior Vice President of Advanced Wound Devices at Smith & Nephew. "We designed the RENASYS(TM) GO to provide patients with the flexibility to return to their routines without sacrificing the quality of therapy needed to promote wound healing. In its stylish carrying pouch, RENASYS(TM) GO is a discrete and elegant solution for active wound care patients. "
Leadership in Wound Care
RENASYS(TM) GO joins the recently introduced RENASYS(TM) EZ as well as the RENASYS(TM)-G and RENASYS(TM)-F dressing kits. As a whole the product line delivers a new experience in NPWT, focusing on greater ease of use and patient comfort across the full range of wound types, and enables clinicians to choose their preferred treatment for surgical, traumatic or chronic wounds according to the individual needs of the patient and the characteristics of the patient's wound.
A leader in wound care for more than 150 years, Smith & Nephew has made an important investment in NPWT, and is supporting the RENASYS(TM) product line introduction with a significant customer education program. The multifaceted program will include on-site support and on-call assistance, a 24-hour helpline for technical and clinical questions, and an ongoing education and training program. With Universal Hospital Services and Apria Healthcare as its partners, Smith & Nephew has the largest NPWT distribution channel in the U.S. and can deliver and support NPWT systems wherever clinicians and patients may need them.
Smith & Nephew will present its full RENASYS(TM) line of NPWT products at the American Burn Association Annual Meeting, which will be held from March 24 to 27 in San Antonio, Texas.
For more information regarding Smith & Nephew's solutions for NPWT, please visit www.myRENASYS.com
About Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specializing in Orthopaedics, including Reconstruction, Trauma and Clinical Therapies; Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopaedics companies.
Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company operates in 32 countries around the world. Annual sales in 2008 were $3.8 billion.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins discussed under "Outlook" are forward-looking statements as are discussions of our product pipeline. These statements, as well as the phrases "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions, are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (including, but not limited to, the outcome of litigation, claims and regulatory approvals) that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Smith & Nephew, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.
All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew or any person acting on behalf of Smith & Nephew are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Smith & Nephew's expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
CONTACT: Press, Steve DiMattia, Managing Director of EVC Group, Inc.,
+1-646-201-5445, for Smith & Nephew Inc; or Investors, Liz Hewitt, Group
Director Corporate Affairs, +44 (0)20 7401 7646, or other inquiries, Robin
Carlstein, Global Senior Vice President, +1-727-399-3746, both of Smith &
Nephew Advanced Wound Management
Web site: http://www.myRENASYS.com/