Hospira And Smiths Medical To Co-Promote Infusion Pumps And Develop A Standardized Safety Monitoring And Reporting Solution Across Infusion Systems

Main Category: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 12 Sep 2010 - 1:00 PDT


Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP - News), a leading provider of clinical information and medication delivery technologies, and Smiths Medical, a leading global medical device manufacturer,announced a commercial collaboration and co-development agreement for infusion pump systems. Effective immediately, Hospira and Smiths Medical will co-promote Hospira's Symbiq™ and Plum A+™ general infusion pumps with Hospira MedNet™ safety software, and Smiths Medical's Medfusion™ syringe pumps with PharmGuard® Medication Safety Software. By co-promoting their highly complementary product lines, both companies are working to help healthcare providers serve patients in every care area of the hospital.

Also as part of the agreement, the two companies have begun development of a comprehensive enterprise infusion safety medication management software application designed to enhance patient safety and simplify how clinicians work. This will allow hospitals with Hospira general infusion pumps with Hospira MedNet™ software and Smiths Medical's Medfusion™ syringe pumps with PharmGuard® Medication Safety Software to use one standard solution to view and report infusion data through Hospira MedNet™-enabled enterprise technology. Setting a new precedent in infusion system interoperability, the new technology will facilitate monitoring of infusion devices, while supporting improved medication administration reporting and benchmarking as well as documentation of device wear and use.

"This collaboration allows Hospira to extend its reach as one of the most technologically advanced providers of infusion systems across the continuum of care and advances our strategy of providing interoperable solutions for our customers," said Anil G. D'Souza, Corporate Vice President, Global Marketing and Corporate Development, Hospira. "Hospitals will now have access to one of the industry's best syringe pumps to complement the already robust Hospira general infusion pump portfolio, and will further benefit from enhanced safety and quality monitoring through an integrated enterprise medication management solution."

The Hospira/Smiths collaboration will offer hospitals a complete market-leading infusion device portfolio spanning all patient care areas. Development of the common safety software monitoring and reporting interface could help optimize clinical effectiveness by:

-- Supporting safety initiatives through a connected safety software platform that provides standardized infusion pump viewing, monitoring and reporting.

-- Providing hospitals with a broader selection of flexible and customizable infusion systems to meet the needs of the full range of care areas, patient populations and institutions -- from multi-hospital health systems and teaching hospitals to children's and community hospitals.

"This presents an exciting opportunity for Smiths Medical to take our infusion technology and safety software into more areas of the hospital," said Stuart Morris-Hipkins, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, Smiths Medical. "Ease of use and safety controls are critical as hospitals and clinicians become more reliant on integrated technology to provide, monitor and document patient care. Our mutual goal is to provide an advanced medication management solution for patient safety and clinician flexibility."

With more than a half a million infusion devices in use worldwide enabling safe and effective medication administration, Hospira offers a medication management portfolio featuring Hospira MedNet™ safety software and a full range of infusion pump systems. Hospira MedNet™ programmable safety software was developed to help hospitals combat the more than 1.5 million preventable medication errors that are estimated to occur each year in the United States.1 It is a comprehensive dose-error reduction system that alerts clinicians when a pump is programmed outside of hospital-established limits. Hospira MedNet™ generates enterprise-wide reports to provide actionable medication data, identify practice trends and determine clinician compliance with hospital guidelines.

Smiths Medical is a global medical device manufacturer and a leading provider of smart infusion system solutions for use in high-care areas and specialized clinical environments. The company's infusion systems are well-known worldwide and have a strong presence in intensive care, pediatric intensive care and neonatal intensive care units; operating rooms; and pain management applications. Its Medfusion™ syringe pump with PharmGuard® Medication Safety Software platform is widely used in leading children's hospitals and has been a technology leader in syringe pumps for more than 15 years. Innovations in syringe recognition, drug libraries and medication safety software with programmable limits, along with 16 programmable care area profiles, are designed to advance patient safety, promote individual patient care and enhance efficiency.

The scope of the commercial collaboration is the United States and Canada. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Hospira's goals related to the development of a standardized safety monitoring and reporting solution across infusion systems. Hospira cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, legal, regulatory, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Hospira's operations and may cause actual results to be materially different from expectations include the risks, uncertainties and factors discussed under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Hospira's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K, and Hospira's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and incorporated by reference. Hospira undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as the result of subsequent events or developments.

1 Aspden P, Wolcott J, Bootman J, Cronenwett L, eds. Preventing Medical Errors: Quality Chasm Series. Washington DC: National Academies Press; 2007. Accessed May 15, 2009.

Source: Hospira

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