Cook Medical And LMA Urology Ltd Forge Global Partnership To Advance Global Treatment Of Stone Disease

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 16 Jun 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Cook Medical and LMA Urology Ltd have entered into a strategic partnership that can significantly improve the remedies available for stone disease management. Through the worldwide agreement, Cook will market and distribute LMA's StoneBreakerTM, a portable pneumatic lithotripter for stone fragmentation.

The StoneBreaker is a powerful, portable, easy-to manage and cost-effective lithotripter, and will be marketed in conjunction with Cook's own cutting-edge portfolio of stone management technologies and devices. Together, they provide urologists across the globe with highly effective, comprehensive solutions for treating kidney, ureteral and bladder stones.

About 3 in 20 men and 1 in 20 women in the UK will develop a kidney stone at some point in their lifetime.[1] The number of kidney stone cases diagnosed and treated in the last 5 years has increased by 60% in the UK[2].

The LMA StoneBreaker is a proprietary device that is highly effective in the treatment of urinary stone disease. The StoneBreaker's unique, compact, ergonomic design makes it easier to manage than comparable lithotripters, reducing the procedure time for fragmentation and removal of stones. Additionally, there is minimal probe movement during the procedure allowing for safer stone fragmentation and reduced stone migration. Powered by a cartridge of high-pressure carbon dioxide gas, the StoneBreaker delivers a higher probe-tip velocity at impact to successfully break stones in one procedure, thus eliminating the need for additional costly procedure time and patient discomfort.

Dr. Abhay Rane, Consultant Urological Surgeon at East Surrey Hospital NHS Trust in the UK, notes that, "The StoneBreaker is a highly effective device in the treatment of kidney stones, by providing the ability to fragment stones safely and effectively. It is relatively inexpensive as compared to other endoscopic lithotripters, and ris completely portable, requiring no external power source.

Commenting on the Cook Medical partnership, Dr. Markus Haller, president of LMA Urology said, "We are delighted to have Cook Medical as our partner. The company's vast expertise in urology, combined with its substantial marketing and sales capability will allow us to achieve global market penetration for the StoneBreaker. Together, our companies provide today's urologists with a comprehensive solution for stone management."

"We are very excited to be working with LMA, a company that continues to demonstrate product excellence and quality-focused innovation in treatment of stone disorders," said Jerry French, senior vice president and global strategic business unit leader for Cook Urology. "Together we offer an industry leading stone management technology that provides urologists worldwide with a more comprehensive approach to treat kidney, ureteral and bladder stones, minimising procedure time and improving overall patient care."

References

[1] NHS online, kidney stones: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-stones/Pages/Introduction.aspx
[2] Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Source
Cook Medical