IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) announced today that in response to the Zika virus and its potential impact on the availability of blood products, Masimo is creating a special program to dramatically reduce the cost of and increase access to Masimo’s continuous hemoglobin monitoring (SpHb®) solutions, shown to help clinicians reduce blood transfusions in both low and high blood loss surgery. This special program will be available wherever the blood supply is affected by the Zika virus.
Masimo’s special program will allow clinicians and institutions in areas affected by the Zika virus to obtain a 50% discount off the list price of non-invasive SpHb sensors, and in addition, will make a limited number of loaner SpHb monitoring devices available at no cost during this special program.
Joe Kiani, Founder and CEO of Masimo, stated, “Because of how the Zika virus is transmitted, the FDA has recently recommended that the existing blood supply be tested for the virus, in addition to adding Zika screening for new blood donations. While this additional testing is necessary, it may constrain supplies of usable blood products while also increasing the cost of blood for a period of time. Masimo wants to do its part to help clinicians and healthcare facilities mitigate these issues by dramatically reducing the price of and increasing access to our SpHb monitoring solutions, which permit continuous, real-time visibility to changes in hemoglobin levels to help clinicians facilitate more informed and timely transfusion decisions. Independent, published studies completed by different researchers on three continents (US1, Egypt2, Japan3) have shown that SpHb may help clinicians reduce blood transfusions during different types of surgery*.”
“We believe the use of continuous SpHb monitoring can help reduce demand for donated blood and the risk posed by blood donated before the additional testing, which may be infected,” Mr. Kiani added. “In addition, Masimo will expand its ongoing efforts to increase awareness of the transfusion reduction benefits of the multidisciplinary pillars of Patient Blood Management, including the importance of pre-operative screening and therapies to safely increase patients’ hemoglobin levels before elective surgery4.”
@MasimoInnovates | #Masimo
*Clinical decisions regarding red blood cell transfusions should be based on the clinician’s judgment considering, among other factors: patient condition, continuous SpHb monitoring, and laboratory diagnostic tests using blood samples.
References
- Ehrenfeld JM et al. J Blood Disorders Transf. 2014. 5:9. 2.
- Awada WN et al. J Clin Monit Comput. 2015 Feb 4.
- Imaizumi et al. Continuous and noninvasive hemoglobin monitoring may reduce excessive intraoperative RBC transfusion. Proceedings from the 16th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists, Hong Kong. Abstract #PR607.
- Meybohm P et al. Patient Blood Management is Associated With a Substantial Reduction of Red Blood Cell Utilization and Safe for Patient’s Outcome. Ann Surg. 2016;264:203-211.
About Masimo
Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) is a global leader in innovative noninvasive monitoring technologies. Our mission is to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care by taking noninvasive monitoring to new sites and applications. In 1995, the company debuted Masimo SET® Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion™ pulse oximetry, which has been shown in multiple studies to significantly reduce false alarms and accurately monitor for true alarms. Masimo SET® is estimated to be used on more than 100 million patients in leading hospitals and other healthcare settings around the world. In 2005, Masimo introduced rainbow® Pulse CO-Oximetry technology, allowing noninvasive and continuous monitoring of blood constituents that previously could only be measured invasively, including total hemoglobin (SpHb®), oxygen content (SpOC™), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO®), methemoglobin (SpMet®), and more recently, Pleth Variability Index (PVI®) and Oxygen Reserve Index (ORI™), in addition to SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index (PI). In 2014, Masimo introduced Root®, an intuitive patient monitoring and connectivity platform with the Masimo Open Connect™ (MOC-9™) interface. Masimo is also taking an active leadership role in mHealth with products such as the Radius-7™ wearable patient monitor and the MightySat™ fingertip pulse oximeter. Additional information about Masimo and its products may be found at www.masimo.com. All published clinical studies on Masimo products can be found at http://www.masimo.com/cpub/clinical-evidence.htm.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in connection with the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the potential effectiveness of Masimo SpHb®. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations about future events affecting us and are subject to risks and uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control and could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in our forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors, including, but not limited to: risks related to our assumptions regarding the repeatability of clinical results; risks related to our belief that Masimo's unique noninvasive measurement technologies, including Masimo SpHb, contribute to positive clinical outcomes and patient safety; risks related to our belief that Masimo noninvasive medical breakthroughs provide cost-effective solutions with comparable accuracy and unique advantages, including: immediate and continuous results that enable earlier treatment without causing invasive trauma in all patients and in every clinical situation; as well as other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which may be obtained for free at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know whether our expectations will prove correct. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of today's date. We do not undertake any obligation to update, amend or clarify these statements or the "Risk Factors" contained in our most recent reports filed with the SEC, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under the applicable securities laws.
