CoMedical, Inc. to Market SonoPrep in Pacific Northwest
FRANKLIN, Mass., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sontra Medical
Corporation (Nasdaq SC: SONT) announced today that it has appointed CoMedical
Inc., a sales organization focused on providing clinicians with innovative
products from manufacturers of infusion therapy and surgery/anesthesia
products to distribute its SonoPrep ultrasonic skin permeation device and
procedure tray with lidocaine for rapid skin anesthesia in the Pacific
Northwest Territory which includes the states of Washington, Oregon, Montana,
Idaho and Alaska. Sontra received FDA marketing clearance for this product in
August 2004.
"We are very pleased to have signed up CoMedical as our first SonoPrep
distributor for the Pacific Northwest territory. The Company has a very
successful track record of introducing new innovative medical technology to
hospitals and gaining market share," stated Thomas W. Davison, PhD, Sontra's
President and Chief Executive Officer. "Given CoMedical's ability to
penetrate the market with its existing intravenous and anesthesia products
sold to hospitals, we believe they offer a great opportunity to address the
$100 million U.S. topical anesthesia market for our SonoPrep product."
"We are excited about the opportunity to represent SonoPrep in the Pacific
Northwest," stated Doug Overturf founder and Chief Executive Officer of
CoMedical. "Because SonoPrep can significantly speed up the action of topical
lidocaine to within five minutes as compared to up to sixty minutes for
lidocaine alone, we can now offer hospitals the ability to provide point-of-
care skin anesthesia as a standard procedure for all their patients. We expect
nurses and physicians will be especially enthusiastic because they now can
provide painless IV insertions, particularly to those chronically ill children
who must endure frequent interventional treatments."
Sontra has completed three clinical studies with approximately 500
patients and demonstrated that rapid skin anesthesia with 4% lidocaine was
achieved within five minutes following a skin pre-treatment with SonoPrep. The
SonoPrep device applies low frequency ultrasound to a patient's skin for
approximately 15 seconds to create imperceptible, reversible micro-channels
through the stratum corneum (outermost layer of the skin) making the skin
permeable so that the onset of action for transdermal drugs is accelerated.
About Sontra Medical Corporation (http://www.sontra.com)
Sontra Medical Corporation is a leading developer of transdermal drug
delivery and diagnostic products that combine Sontra's SonoPrep ultrasound-
mediated skin permeation technology with synergistic biosensor and transdermal
drug delivery technologies. Sontra is marketing the SonoPrep device and
procedure tray for use with topical lidocaine to achieve rapid (within five
minutes) skin anesthesia. Products under development include: a continuous
non-invasive glucose monitor developed in collaboration with Bayer Diagnostics
and the use of SonoPrep for the transdermal delivery of vaccines, pain drugs
and large protein biopharmaceuticals.
About CoMedical, Inc. (http://www.comedical.com)
CoMedical, based in Seattle Washington was founded in 1980 and sells,
markets and distributes innovative medical products to hospitals throughout
the Pacific Northwest. The Company distributes medical products for infusion
therapy, anesthesia, surgery, women's health and interventional radiology.
SonoPrep is a registered trademark of Sontra Medical Corporation. All
other company, product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which address a
variety of subjects including, for example, the expected timing of the
commercial availability of the SonoPrep device and procedure tray, the
expected benefits, market opportunities and market acceptance of the SonoPrep
device and technology, the expected size of the markets for the SonoPrep
device and procedure tray, and Sontra's business and marketing strategies.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our
beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Such statements are
based on our current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and
uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from
those described in the forward-looking statements. The following important
factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ
materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: adverse
results in product development, clinical trials, commercialization efforts and
market acceptance; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to
market products resulting from development efforts; difficulties or delays
associated with sources of topical lidocaine; failure to obtain and maintain
patent protection for discoveries; commercial limitations imposed by patents
owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic partners and
third-party distributors to develop, commercialize, market and sell products
based on our work; the commercial success of products; and the requirement for
substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand
commercialization and marketing activities. For detailed information about
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
described in the forward-looking statements, please refer to Sontra's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Sontra's most recent
Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB. Forward-looking statements represent
management's current expectations and are inherently uncertain. We do not
undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us.
Contacts:
Sean Moran, CFO or Evan Smith, CFA / Erica Pettit
Sontra Medical Corporation KCSA Worldwide
Tel: 508-553-8850, ext 234 Tel: 212-896-1251 / 212-896-1248
SOURCE Sontra Medical Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.sontra.com
CONTACT:
Sean Moran, CFO of Sontra Medical
Corporation, +1-508-553-8850, ext. 234; or Evan Smith, CFA,
+1-212-896-1251, or Erica Pettit, +1-212-896- 1248, both of KCSA
Worldwide
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