New Zealand’s Biomedical Innovation and Practical Healthcare Solutions Highlighted at Medica 2008

Düsseldorf, Germany and Auckland, New Zealand, November 17, 2008 - Globally recognised for its strengths and expertise across a range of sectors, such as biotechnology, ICT and specialised manufacturing, New Zealand is now blending this expertise and building up an enviable reputation in medical technologies. Medtech in New Zealand is a unique and innovative niche sector that has enjoyed significant growth in the last five years. Comprising of highly specialised companies with extensive expertise and considerable business acumen, the sector has a proven record of developing cutting-edge technologies and products.

Some of New Zealand's leading medical technology companies are once again showing strong presence at the world's largest medical trade fair to be held in Düsseldorf, Germany this week. Demonstrations on the New Zealand stand will be made by a number of the companies: KM Medical will show how new born babies having difficulty breathing can be assisted by an innovative, hand-held resuscitator and ventilator. Visitors will be able to measure blood pressure and artery stiffness using a new device developed by Pulsecor. Telehealth company Zephyr Technology will be demonstrating several products that monitor physiological parameters, including BioHarness™, which has applications in sports, the military and patient well-being.

“New Zealanders seem to have an innate ability to think differently, 'mix and matching' diverse technologies to find novel ways to improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery,” noted New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's (NZTE) medical technologies sector manager Rachael McGuckian. “New Zealand medtech businesses exemplify how a collaborative and solutions focused approach allows them to compete internationally. Many of the companies exhibiting at Medica have already expanded beyond the shores of New Zealand and have achieved great success in the global health care industry.”

The New Zealand contingent includes Adept Medical, Canterbury Scientific, Chiptech, Comvita, Industrial Research Limited, KM Medical, Multifit Hospital Supplies, Orion Health, Precept Health, Pulsecor, WinScribe and Zephyr Technologies. A number of other New Zealand companies, including Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, will be exhibiting independently of the NZTE-coordinated pavilion.

The New Zealand pavilion at Medica 2008, located at Stand 58A, Hall 17 and featuring distinctive imagery and branding, will provide the backdrop for 12 New Zealand companies. For more information about New Zealand medical technology companies exhibiting at Medica 2008, visit www.nzbio.org/medica08.

New Zealand Companies at Medica 2008
Delegates from some of New Zealand’s leading biomedical companies will represent the industry’s outstanding capabilities and global competitiveness at the congress. The New Zealand companies represented at Medica 2008 include:

Adept Medical
www.adeptmedical.co.nz
Adept Medical Ltd is a state-of-the-art medical design, development and manufacturing company. We manufacture a range of high quality products in the ENT field under the NeoZoline brand that are designed with the surgeon and patient in mind.

Adept Medical products are marketed worldwide by a network of independent medical distribution companies. Adept Medical is the sister company of Adept Limited, a specialist in the plastics moulding industry for over 30 years.

Canterbury Scientific
www.canterburyscientific.com
Canterbury Scientific develops and produces medical diagnostic controls based on sound scientific research, with the objective of delivering products to customers' specifications on a timely basis. The company works closely with the University of Cambridge (UK) and the Christchurch Clinical School of Otago University (NZ), to develop new products and improve existing products. Canterbury Scientific's extendSURE™ range of controls have pre-market approval (510K) from the USA Federal Drug Administration (FDA), and are manufactured according to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). In addition the laboratory is ISO accredited. This ensures Canterbury Scientific meets all regulatory requirements for sale of products into the USA.

Chiptech
www.chiptech.co.nz
Chiptech is a design and build company specialising in electronics that help people to remain independent, safe and healthy in their homes. We work to the highest standards to meet customers' needs with innovative, life enhancing, quality products.

Chiptech's facility is based in Christchurch, New Zealand. From here we are proud to supply the largest medical alarm service providers in Australasia with our comprehensive Smartware and Smartcare ranges. Smartware is highly reliable and intelligent hardware for wellness monitoring of individuals in their homes. Smartcare is custom and packaged software solutions designed for monitoring companies.

Our latest Smartware product, the Personal Response Unit (PRU), builds on our years of expertise. Unlike other social alarms or telecare systems, PRU integrates personal emergency response with medication reminders, inactivity monitoring and a future platform to enable home health monitoring capabilities ensuring individuals can remain independent, safe and healthy in their own homes.

Comvita
www.comvita.com
Comvita® is the global leader in medical honey advanced wound and skin care products marketed under the Medihoney™ brand. With a 30-year heritage in high quality, effective natural health products, Comvita is the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of Manuka (Leptospermum sp) honey. MedihoneyTM is sold throughout the world by Comvita and US licensee Derma Sciences, and is the leading brand of honey-based dressings for the management of wounds and burns. Medihoney™ has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a variety of wounds, burns and skin conditions and was recently the focus of a large-scale randomised controlled trial on chronic leg ulcers.

Comvita natural health products and medical devices are sold in more than 20 countries around the world. The company has an established base in UK providing clinical and marketing support and supply chain management for UK and Europe.

Industrial Research Limited (IRL)
www.irl.cri.nz
Industrial Research Limited (IRL) provides research, science and advanced technology support to industry to enhance their performance and add value to the New Zealand economy. IRL's science capability covers a range of disciplines, with an emphasis on medical technologies, biopharmaceuticals, the energy industry, information and communications technologies, and construction and engineering.

KM Medical
www.kmmedical.co.nz
KM Medical was established in 2006, mandated with the development of a new type of Neonatal Resuscitator to reduce the incidence of Neonatal Volutrauma and Neonatal Barotrauma. The resultant KM Medical Neonatal Resuscitator/Ventilator controls tidal volume, airway pressure and breath rate simultaneously. It also has transport ventilator capability. The unit is automatic, hand-held, low cost and easy-to-use.

Multifit
www.multifit.co.nz
Multifit is an innovator of products for people with disabilities. Our focus is to identify a need, then create a product that will help people with disabilities live with more independence. Designed and developed by the business owner, Multifit's Leg Lifter device is made in New Zealand.

Orion Health
www.orionhealth.com
Orion Health provides integration and clinical workflow software for the healthcare industry. Our key products, the Concerto Clinical Portal and Rhapsody Integration Engine form a "clinical integration framework" to assist the creation of electronic health records across organisations, regions and nations. Orion Health's software integrates with an organisation's existing IT infrastructure, including legacy data sources, information systems and document repositories. With Orion Health technology, customers can retain and gain greater value from their existing IT infrastructure, without requiring complete system replacement. Orion Health's software is based on industry technical standards for interfacing, ensuring maximum interoperability with third party information systems.

Precept Health
www.precepthealth.com
Precept Health specialises in developing medical software systems for intensive care units, operating rooms, emergency departments, and acute care units. ICU Care, Precept Health's flagship product, empowers clinicians to improve patient outcome and provides ward managers tools to deliver administration cost savings. ICU Care covers the whole ICU workflow, providing real-time comprehensive patient clinical data and staff activities suitable for risk management and audit review. Precept Health is a New Zealand based company trading in New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, and Canada.

Pulsecor
www.pulsecor.com
Pulsecor develops products that enable non-invasive measurement of arterial health and heart function. Pulsecor's R6.5 cardiovascular monitor is as portable, quick and easy-to-use as the familiar, trusted, non-invasive blood pressure cuff. The monitor is suitable for research use wherever non-invasive blood pressure cuffs are used. Its speed, accuracy and familiarity make it an excellent choice for clinical studies related to screening, risk profiling, pharmaceutical trials or monitoring physiology.

Pulsecor's technology has been clinically evaluated over seven years and its measures of augmentation index and cardiac performance have been shown to be repeatable, reproducible and sensitive to physiological changes in the doctor's office and the operating theatre. Pulsecor's non-invasive central blood pressure measurement (currently under development) is showing accuracy that exceeds the accepted standards for peripheral blood pressure. Pulsecor's VasomonR software for the PC allows remote-control of the R6.5 monitor and has been designed for complete, easy data management.

WinScribe Europe
www.winscribe.co.uk
WinScribe is a world leading provider of digital dictation software supporting business requirements for digital dictation, digital transcription, voice recognition, and workflow management.

WinScribe Europe Ltd was founded in 1984. WinScribe quickly became recognized as an innovative and fast moving vendor in the dictation, transcription and workflow management market place. Since then, WinScribe has received widespread acknowledgement as an essential part of improved workflow and employee performance for government departments, hospitals, police forces and law firms globally. Today, WinScribe is an ever evolving solution and on-going research and development ensures that it offers the very best solution for customer requirements.

Zephyr Technology
www.zephyr-technology.com
Zephyr enables an entirely new approach to health in the community. We combine a new level of real-time personal physiological data with mobile devices, wireless internet connectivity and interpretative algorithms.

Zephyr's smart fabric technology combines fabric sensors inserted into garments or straps. The small wireless electronics use patented BioSense™ algorithms and electronic design to produce wireless physiological monitoring products. These products are comfortable to wear and communicate with local and remote health monitoring applications.

Zephyr products deliver high quality physiological data outside the laboratory. Integration with the internet and cellular networks allows for total freedom of the monitored person without compromising data integrity or patient safety. Integration with Zephyr's Adaptive Training Program can allow management of chronic diseases via a focused exercise and lifestyle management regime.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is the New Zealand government’s national economic development agency. Through our global network of offices NZTE works with international businesses and investors, connecting them to New Zealand business opportunities.

For more information on New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, visit: www.nzte.govt.nz or www.marketnewzealand.com.

Emma Bull
Marketing & Communications Manager - Europe, Middle East, Africa
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise
T: +44 207 839 8025
F: +44 207 973 0104
E: emma.bull@nzte.govt.nz

Mike Sinclair
Director
Halsin Partners Ltd.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7084 5955
Fax: +44 (0)20 7084 5951
Mobile: +44 (0)7968 022 075
E-mail: msinclair@halsin.com

This release was published on openPR.