Medovate has concluded an agreement with Mercury Medical to distribute its medical device SAFIRA (SAFer Injection for Regional Anesthesia) – a move that will now provide 100% coverage across the United States of America.
Despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic which has closed many country borders, Medovate has successfully secured a deal with one of the United States’ largest distribution partners for their FDA-cleared device.
Developed in collaboration with clinicians from the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, SAFIRA is a revolutionary Class II medical device set to transform regional anaesthesia around the world by making it a one-person procedure. It puts control of the injection in the hands of the anaesthesiologist, therefore freeing up their assistants to carry out other tasks and the device helps to improve patient safety by reducing the risk of nerve damage as it prevents injection above 20psi. For hospitals, economic modelling has shown it also has the potential to generate cost savings.
Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, Mercury Medical is a company with more than 50 years of experience developing medical device innovation, focusing heavily on keeping healthcare ahead of the curve with novel technologies. They have positioned themselves as a US leader in providing technological advances for clinicians in both airway solutions and anaesthesia – a philosophy that aligns with Medovate and SAFIRA. Mercury Medical also has very high-quality standards and are ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certified.
Stuart Thomson, managing director, Medovate, said: "Securing this agreement with Mercury Medical during a global pandemic is a real achievement and demonstrates the strength and ambition of the company, along with the exciting impact SAFIRA can generate"
"A comprehensive suite of digital based marketing tools has also been developed by Medovate to help support our distributors roll out this brand new product in challenging times where it is increasingly difficult to hold face-to-face meetings and product demonstrations. Our distribution partners have been impressed and reassured by Medovate’s investment in materials to support them during launch and roll out. We aim to provide professional support to our well-established, global distributors to enable them to gain early market traction with our first medical product – SAFIRA."
Dr John Gargaro, president and CEO at Mercury Medical added: "We believe SAFIRA will revolutionise regional anaesthesia across the United States. As a company, Mercury Medical has a rich experience in bringing innovative, clinically differentiated medical devices to market. This ingenious device will improve patient safety and operating room efficiency simultaneously by putting the entire regional block procedure back where it belongs – in the anaesthesiologists’ hands. We are extremely pleased to add SAFIRA to our product line portfolio".
Mercury Medical will distribute SAFIRA throughout 28 US States. This will cover the East Coast, the Southern states and the West Coast including the states of New York, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi and California.
Amid the current COVID-19 pandemic SAFIRA has the potential to make a significant impact by turning regional anaesthesia into a one-person procedure. Recent publications, including a joint statement by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management (ASRA) and the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA), have recommended regional anaesthesia be considered whenever surgery is planned for a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient. This is because it preserves respiratory function and avoids aerosolization and the potential for transmission of COVID-19 compared to general anaesthesia.