For Immediate Release
Medline Launches New SILVERTOUCH Foley Catheter
With Advanced Silver Technology
Thursday, August 24, 2006 —
Mundelein, Ill. - Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, is introducing Silvertouch, a new silver-coated foley catheter with patented silver-ion releasing technology from Covalon that will help improve patient care and comfort. "Silvertouch raises the bar for silver-coated catheters. The bottom line is that Silvertouch is good for patients and for hospitals and health care facilities. The Silvertouch Foley Catheter with Covalon's groundbreaking silver ion releasing technology makes this catheter more comfortable for patients because the coating keeps the catheter lubricated," said Medline Group Division President Ken Chua. "We're thrilled to bring this product to market because we know how hard our customers are working to improve patient care and outcomes." Silvertouch foley catheters actually maintain the lubricious coating for seven days or more due to covalent bonding of the lubricious surface coating. This helps to decrease friction of the catheter surface against the urethral tissue. "This is a very exciting partnership designed to introduce a new silver ion-releasing catheter. By offering this catheter, Medline has tremendous potential to do good for many patients who need to be catheterized," said Dr. Frank DiCosmo, President and CEO of Covalon.
About Covalon Technologies Ltd.
Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Covalon is a company with advanced medical products that has developed and patented advanced therapeutic biomaterials for wound care and surgical applications and coatings. Polymer chemistry and surface coating technology have been combined to create a range of time-release drug delivery platforms that are applied to many medical devices to treat many critical conditions. A variety of applications for these technologies have been identified and specific products have been developed.
About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 250 major hospitals and health care systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.
Medline has a growing network of 34 distribution centers around the country, as well as an expanding, dedicated transportation fleet with over 160 vehicles in a variety of sizes to fit customers' specific delivery needs. The fleet is equipped with the latest navigation devices for enhanced order tracking and communication.