14th Nov 2006 07:03
Synergy Healthcare PLC14 November 2006 For Immediate Release 14 November 2006 Synergy Healthcare ("Synergy" or the "Company") Acquires Worldwide Rights for Anti Microbial Technology for Healthcare Market Synergy Healthcare plc,(AIM : SYR), a leading provider of outsourced medicalsupport services to the UK and Netherlands, is pleased to announce theacquisition of an exclusive license for the worldwide healthcare market to useByotrol(TM), an anti microbial technology. Byotrol is a portfolio of productsdesigned to combat a wide array of micro-organisms that are medically important,and can be added into Synergy's existing portfolio of manufactured products orsold directly to control micro-organisms safely. Terms of the Agreement The rights to the licensed technology have been acquired from Byotrol plc for aninitial sum of £0.2 million which can rise to a maximum consideration of £2.3million that is determined by the extent to which Synergy wishes to exploit theworld market. The agreement provides for ongoing royalty payments to Byotrol onsales generated. Byotrol(TM) Byotrol(TM) has two unique properties. Firstly it has been demonstrated to havea more effective kill rate than antimicrobial products currently used in themarket today. A recent study at a pair of NHS Hospital wards showed that MRSAinfections were more than halved when Byotrol(TM) was used compared to routinecleaning methods. Secondly Byotrol(TM) remains active after it has been appliedand provides long lasting active protection for extended periods. Productscontaining Byotrol(TM) continue to kill and control bacteria, mould and fungifor weeks and months when incorporated in coatings and polymers and for manydays when used as sanitizers or disinfectants. As part of the Byotrol(TM) license agreement Synergy has also acquired therights and goodwill of the Assure brand of products for a consideration of£50,000, which Byotrol have developed for the community care market. Assure,together with other Byotrol suited infection control products, are beingtargeted at a worldwide market with an estimated value of around £800 millionpa. Synergy will co-promote the use of AirCleanse(TM), for which it recentlyacquired the worldwide rights, to reduce the bioburden in air (which results insurface contamination) and the use of Byotrol(TM) based products to sustainablyreduce surface based bioburden levels as part of its infection control system. Dr Richard Steeves, Chief Executive of Synergy, commented : "The acquisitions of the worldwide rights for both Byotrol(TM) andAirCleanse(TM) have been a major strategic step forward for Synergy. Byotrol(TM)is an ideal fit for Synergy and, coupled with AirCleanse(TM) will greatlyenhance our product offering in the atmospheric decontamination market. This isan area of critical concern to the healthcare market worldwide in order tocounteract the ever-increasing threat of hospital acquired infections." EnquiriesSynergy Healthcare plc 01332 387 100Richard Steeves, Chief ExecutiveIvan Jacques, Group Finance Director Brewin Dolphin Securities Ltd 0845 270 8600Mark Brady / Matt Davis / Andrew Emmott Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000Tim Anderson / Mark Court / Isabel Podda About Byotrol Byotrol's assure range has been specifically developed for the NHS covering allareas from acute care to care homes and comprises disinfectant sprays for useacross a wide range of settings, cleaning and sanitising wipes, and a handsanitising mousse. The Company's patented technology has been proven, throughextensive testing, to be effective in eradicating and controlling a wide rangeof organisms such as MRSA, c.difficile and e-coli. Byotrol(TM) remains activeafter it has dried, providing anti-microbial protection for extended periodsafter application and is able therefore to tackle the practical problems ofodours and spoilage caused by microbe activity. Byotrol(TM) is not toxic to humans and does not require any specialist equipmentor alteration to existing cleaning regimens to be effective. A further advantageof Byotrol(TM) is also its ultra low alcohol content, compared to competingproducts, which means it does not dry or irritate the skin when used as a handsanitiser as part of infection control procedures. An independently supervised study carried out at Glasgow Royal Infirmary showedthat daily cleaning with Byotrol's patented biocide of the ward's high contactsurfaces (including door handles, tables, television handsets, patient contactsystems and bed rails), representing a small fraction of the total surfaceswithin the ward, resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of MRSA. The cleaning regimen, which required no special equipment or extra resource, waspractised for 4 months and the incidence of MRSA was shown to have been reducedby 75% against the pre-trial condition of the ward. During this phase there weretest periods with no incidence of MRSA. The Company recently obtained CE Marking status approving Byotrol(TM) for salein medical and disinfectant products in Europe and approval from the USEnvironment Protection Agency for Byotrol(TM) to be used as a disinfectant,sanitiser and anti-microbial product in a broad number of market sectors. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
SYR.L