Healthcare Industry News: Surgisis Biodesign
News Release - May 7, 2007
Cook Medical's Women's Health Division Experiences Record Growth
Demand for Breakthrough Products Customized Specifically for Women Drives Success in First YearSPENCER, Ind.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Cook Medical today announces that its Women's Health Strategic Business Unit has experienced extraordinary growth in the past year. Since launching in May 2006, Cook Women's Health in North America has grown 30 percent. The demand for sex-based medical solutions has grown exponentially over the past several years and much of Cook's growth in this area is attributed to its ability to successfully deliver to market several ground breaking devices for various women's health conditions.
Also in North America, the business unit expanded its sales force by 50 percent to better support demand. In addition, sales representatives were split into dedicated teams to focus on either assisted reproduction or gynecology and obstetrics.
Sales across all the Americas have grown 28 percent and are forecasted to continue this growth pattern in 2007 as Cook's current offerings continue to gain momentum and new products are introduced to market.
Over the past year, Cook Women's Health has expanded its focus to address the demand for sex-based medical options in the following areas:
- Pelvic Floor Repair - Cook Women's Health is at the cutting edge of pelvic floor repair with its unique Surgisis® Biodesign.(TM) Surgisis Biodesign is not a new mesh or graft, but a whole new category in the evolution of tissue repair. It combines the attributes of synthetic mesh and biologic grafts offering a solution for pelvic floor repair that is resistant to infection, encapsulation and erosion. The solution has been particularly useful in treating pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in women, a condition caused by the weakening of the tissue in a woman's pelvic region. It is estimated that POP will affect approximately 50 percent of women over the age of 55(1) and one out of three women who have given birth vaginally(2).
- High-Risk Obstetrics - Many complications can arise in obstetrical patients, some of which can be life threatening or lead to life changing circumstances. For example, postpartum hemorrhage represents one of the leading causes of childbirth-related maternal mortality. While various management measures are available to treat the hemorrhage, many of these options may still lead to hysterectomy or a separate surgical procedure that can be difficult for patients. In order to provide better quality care to patients, Cook launched the Bakri Postpartum Balloon. The latex-free balloon is positioned in the patient's uterus, inflated with sterile liquid, conforms to the shape of the uterus, and quickly provides immediate management of the hemorrhage. Once the bleeding has stopped, the balloon is easily deflated and removed without the need for surgery.
- Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) - Recognized globally as a leader in the ART market, Cook Women's Health has worked aggressively in the last year to further develop and deliver that expertise to the North American market. Cook has dedicated a significant portion of its North American sales force to ART; and with the launch of the MINC Benchtop Incubator last year Cook has taken decisive steps to impact the success of assisted reproduction procedures. The MINC Benchtop Incubator creates a stable environment for housing embryos during the in-vitro process, which significantly increases the likelihood of an embryo surviving through to implantation.
- Gynecologic Imaging - Gynecologic imaging is one of the best ways for physicians to determine the cause of and treatment options for ailments affecting a women's anatomy. As a result, Cook has delivered to market a breakthrough device, the Transcervical Pelvic Venogram (TPV) Set, which enables diagnosis of pelvic congestion, the leading cause of chronic pelvic pain in women. In a matter of minutes and at a fraction of the cost of other techniques, the TPV Set provides physicians with a clear view of the pelvic anatomy. This information allows physicians to refine their diagnosis and determine the best treatment options for each individual patient based on the severity of her congestion.
In addition, more than 10 million women in the U.S. suffer from abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and it is related to one-third of all outpatient gynecologic visits(3). Cook introduced the Goldstein Sonobiopsy Catheter to help clinicians diagnose the causes of abnormal uterine bleeding. This new catheter allows both sonohysterography and biopsy of endometrial tissue without the need to introduce additional instruments into the patient's uterus. If an endometrial biopsy is indicated during Saline Infusion Sonohysterography (SIS), suction may be applied to the catheter to aspirate an appropriate tissue sample for evaluation.
"Women have unique and specific health concerns based on their body composition. To accurately and effectively address these issues, specialized tools and devices are needed," says Christina Anne, Global Leader of Cook Women's Health. "Cook recognized the need for customized, sex-based medical solutions, and from that the Women's Health division was launched. Our extraordinary growth over the past year clearly demonstrates that the market is clamoring for these specialized solutions which will help improve the quality of female patients' lives."
Cook Women's Health has brought a new level of patient-centered innovation to the global market recognizing that women have special health and medical needs. Cook Women's Health will continue to uniquely address prevalent areas of women's health including pelvic floor repair, high-risk obstetrics, assisted reproductive technology and gynecological imaging.
About Cook Medical:
Cook Medical was the first company to introduce interventional devices in the United States. Today, the company participates in all global markets, integrating device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes. Cook won the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year for 2006 from Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.
(1) www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/cr/pelvicfloordisorders.html, University of Southern California.
(2) www.urologyteam.com/female-urology/pelvic-floor-reconstruction.htm
(3) Meniru GI, Hopkins MP. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding. In: Curtis A, Overholt S, Hopkins MP, eds, Glas's Office Gynecology. Philadelphia, PA; Lippincott Williams & Wilkens; 2006: 177.
Source: Cook Medical
Issuer of this News Release is solely responsible for its
content.
Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.
