ivWatch Continues UK Expansion with Signing of Exclusive Distributor, Healthcare 21 Group

US-based company sees UK market as critical to adoption of IV safety standards on heels of recent NHS Resolution and Clinical Study

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ivWatch, LLC, the IV safety company, today announced further expansion of its technology offerings in the United Kingdom market via a multi-year, exclusive partnership agreement with one of Europe's leading medical device distributors, Healthcare 21 Group (HC21). The UK company will sell, distribute and serve on the frontlines supporting ivWatch clinical evaluations and implementations in the UK and Ireland. ivWatch's patient monitoring technology helps protect patients from unpredictable IV complications with early IV infiltration and extravasation detection.

The Healthcare 21 sales and clinical teams are technically savvy and are also experts who are deeply rooted in the infusion therapy space. The two companies will join forces to build on the region's momentum positively impacting clinician practice and improving patient outcomes.

"As we embark on this next pivotal chapter, we continue to team up with leading hospitals and partners that share our same values and are on a mission to improve IV safety. The UK in particular is a sophisticated market that has recognized and magnified the lurking dangers of IV extravasation and is willing to take a stand to help advance clinical practice," said ivWatch President and CEO Gary Warren. "Healthcare 21 has an impressive legacy as a leading, well-respected force in the infusion therapy space and only partners with the highest quality manufacturers, making them a uniquely qualified and well-suited partner for ivWatch."

"HC21 is honored to be the exclusive distributor of ivWatch's patented technology in the UK and Ireland, which is going to disrupt the way things have always been done in IV therapy, exponentially improving patient safety in the process," said Nathan Pettitt, CEO of HC21 Group. "At the same time, the medical community in the UK is increasingly committed to excellence in this arena and to a new set of standards around the prevention of severe infiltration and extravasation, so we expect to see the adoption of ivWatch's products to be speedy and robust in this market."

ivWatch is also the subject of the first clinical study currently underway at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust; the full results of which are expected to be announced in the coming months. Early clinical results are promising with strong device performance in both sensitivity and specificity. The lead initiator and investigator of the study, Andrew Barton, nurse consultant in vascular access and IV therapy, noted: "In less than two weeks, ivWatch technology has successfully prevented at least 15 potentially serious vesicant extravasation injuries that would have occurred had we not used it, ensuring patient safety while at the same time saving thousands of pounds of NHS money in potentially wasted IV therapy, extended treatment time for extravasation injuries and other related costs which can sometimes include litigation."

"Since extravasation became the subject of a November 2022 advisory from the NHS Resolution – which aims to change the negative outcomes associated with IV extravasations – the UK is on its way to becoming the global leader in preventing IV injury, which is essentially a silent worldwide epidemic that can inflict harm on patients including scarring, nerve damage, amputation, and even death," said Helen Stephens, ivWatch's International Vice President of Sales and a tenured 30-year career nurse. NHS Resolution reported that from 2011 until 2021, it received 467 claims relating to extravasation injuries, 214 of these claims settled with damages, 112 without damages, leaving 141 to be reviewed. These injuries have cost the NHS ₤ 16 million so far.

Underscoring its increased presence there, ivWatch will also attend and present at two preeminent conferences in the UK this fall:

IV Summit 23 from IVTEAM, Nottingham Trent University City Campus, October 3, 2023
The Use of Spectroscopy for Detection of Extravasations of Lipid-based Infusates
ivWatch President and CEO Gary Warren will highlight the scientific method and discuss the use of spectroscopy for detection of extravasations of lipid-based infusates. Showing the real-life implications and research on how this groundbreaking technology can change the way we monitor intravenous infusions.

IV Therapy Summit 2023, Hallam Conference Centre, London/Virtual, October 6, 2023
Ending the Culture of Silence of IV Safety: A Cautionary Tale
This moderated discussion led by Gary Warren, ivWatch President and CEO, will allow attendees to hear a firsthand experience of a hospital going from having no IV monitoring technology to studying the outcomes of incorporating some continuous IV monitors vs implementing 1:1 ratio for every patient and how their IV injury outcomes changed drastically. The session will explore why continuous monitoring for IV extravasations should be mandatory. The panelists will also examine how the hidden risks of IV therapy have created a dangerous epidemic that is playing out in silence.

To learn more about the ivWatch patient monitoring system, visit https://www.ivwatch.com/tech-overview/.

About ivWatch, LLC
ivWatch, LLC  is a biosensor technology company focused on improving patient safety and the effectiveness of intravenous therapy. Our dedicated and passionate team is pioneering the use of optical sensors to detect adverse IV events early to minimize the risk of injury caused by infiltrations and extravasations. By using this technology, clinicians can leverage continuous monitoring to help identify infiltrations as early as possible. Our innovative IV monitoring solutions are backed by decades of clinical research and device development. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @ivWatch, Facebook @ivWatchLLC, Instagram @ivWatchLLC and LinkedIn @ivWatch-LLC, or visit www.ivWatch.com. 

About Healthcare 21 Group
Healthcare 21 are a trusted provider of medical device sales, marketing, and service solutions across a broad range of market segments in the UK and Ireland. The Group conducts business in 15 therapeutic segments, including products for infusion care, emergency care, primary healthcare, diagnostics, and surgery as well as technical services. The Healthcare 21 Group has reported revenues in excess of €180M and employs over 500 people in the UK and Ireland. In 2021, Healthcare 21 was acquired by the AddLife AB Group. AddLife is a publicly listed Swedish Medtech company active on the European market. Headquartered in Stockholm, AddLife has a presence in over 29 countries, in niche segments in the life sciences sector, from research to healthcare. In line with the AddLife decentralised business model, Healthcare 21 operates independently. To learn more, follow HC21 on LinkedIn @Healthcare21; Twitter @21Healthcare or visit www.hc21.eu.

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