Tangent Medical Technologies, Inc. Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent

ANN ARBOR, MI--(Marketwire - December 12, 2012) - Tangent Medical (www.tangentmedical.com), an innovator in IV therapy products, today announced the issuance of US Patent #8,323,249 for technology included in the NovaCath™ Secure IV Catheter System, a product designed to set new standards in peripheral IV catheter design, functionality and performance. The patent, titled “Integrated vascular delivery system,” covers several core technologies including:

• Next-Generation Tubing Management - An internal 180 degree fluid path turn combined with integrated extension tubing that eliminates the external “j-loop";
• Advanced Catheter Stabilization - An integrated stabilization frame around the catheter insertion site that “anchors” the frame to the patient and stabilizes the catheter, providing 360 degrees of stabilization; and
• Folding the stabilization frame out of the way during insertion, for clinical ease of use.

“Protecting intellectual property is a long, tedious process in the lifecycle of product development and commercialization,” said Tangent Medical CEO Jeff Williams. “The issuance of our first patent is an important milestone, reached after years of hard work from Tangent’s dedicated team of engineers and developers. We continue to focus on the needs of patients and healthcare workers as we prepare NovaCath for commercial launch.”

The University of Michigan is listed as the assignee of the patent and Tangent Medical holds an exclusive license for worldwide rights to the intellectual property covered by this patent. The inventors of NovaCath were Fellows of the Medical Innovation Center at the University of Michigan in 2009 when the product was invented. They included Steven White, Adrienne Harris, Merrell Sami, and Elyse Kemmerer, who co-founded Tangent Medical shortly thereafter to commercialize this technology.

“Up to 50% of all short-peripheral IV catheters develop complications that negatively impact catheter dwell times, clinical outcomes, patient safety and patient satisfaction,” said Curtis Bloch, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Tangent Medical. “Our innovative, closed IV catheter design uniquely integrates advanced catheter stabilization, next-generation tubing management, passive needle encapsulation and blood control on every short-peripheral IV start. Our research with clinicians has indicated there is nothing like it in the market, which this patent further validates.”

The NovaCath™ Secure IV Catheter System integrates a series of next-generation technologies designed to address IV therapy challenges including catheter stabilization, healthcare worker safety, tubing management and patient comfort. NovaCath is the only peripheral IV catheter with advanced catheter stabilization designed to exceed the highest CDC, OSHA and INS standards for IV catheter stabilization. Its passive needle shielding technology and closed system design minimizes risk of needlestick injuries and occupational exposure to blood to the lowest feasible extent. Several novel design features uniquely position NovaCath to offer healthcare facilities uncompromising safety and satisfaction -- both to the clinician and the patient.

About Tangent Medical
Tangent Medical is focused on the development and commercialization of IV therapy products. Founded in 2009 as a spin-out of the University of Michigan, with its origins in the Medical Innovation Center, the company’s patented NovaCath™ Secure IV Catheter System is the only safety IV catheter to cost-effectively integrate advanced catheter stabilization, passive needle encapsulation, tubing management and blood control. Based on extensive clinical research into the needs of both healthcare workers and patients, this next-generation system is designed to establish a new standard in catheter design, functionality and performance. For more information, visit www.tangentmedical.com.