Medovate – a Cambridge-based medical device development company specialising in anaesthesia, airway management, critical care, and surgery – has announced its first agreement in the Middle East.
It reveals that Omneya Medical Co. is to distribute SAFIRA™ (SAFer Injection for Regional Anaesthesia) in Kuwait.
Developed in collaboration with clinicians from the National Health Service in the UK, SAFIRA™ is a revolutionary Class II medical device set to transform regional anaesthesia around the world by making it a one-person procedure. It puts control of the injection in the hands of the anaesthesiologist, freeing up other staff to carry out other tasks.
The device also helps to improve patient safety by reducing the risk of nerve damage as it automatically limits injection pressure to less than 20psi.
Despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in strict border closures worldwide, Medovate has successfully secured a deal bringing the significant benefits SAFIRA™ provides to the regional anaesthesia market in Kuwait.
One of the fast-growing companies in the country, Omneya Medical Co’s vision is to bring novel innovations to medical systems that support improvements in patient safety and care, a philosophy that aligns well with Medovate and the foundations on which SAFIRA™ was developed.
Chris Rogers, sales and marketing director for Medovate, said: “Securing this agreement with Omneya Medical is a great achievement, and as our first distribution partner in the Middle East allows us to start positioning the many benefits SAFIRA™ brings to both patients and clinicians in Kuwait.”
Jarrah Al Mutairi, managing director at Omneya Medical Co., added: “We are pleased to enter this strategic agreement with Medovate, which will be the beginning of further cooperation between our companies.
“I’m happy that clinicians and patients in Kuwait are the first in the Middle East to utilise the advantages offered by SAFIRA™ and I would like to thank the Medovate team for their efforts.”
SAFIRA™ has the potential to make a significant impact by turning regional anaesthesia into a one-person procedure. Recent publications, including a joint statement by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management and the European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy, have recommended regional anaesthesia be considered whenever surgery is planned for a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient.
This is because it preserves respiratory function and avoids aerosolisation and the potential for transmission of COVID-19 compared to general anaesthesia.
As demand for such procedures continues to grow steadily, SAFIRA™ has the potential to make a significant impact in areas such as the Middle East, where the anaesthesia devices market is set to experience further growth in the next five years.
Providing additional clinical advocacy in the Middle East is consultant anaesthesiologist Dr Emad Fawzy, a co-inventor of SAFIRA™ who is currently based at the flagship Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi.
He was previously based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust in the UK as part of the team of clinical specialists behind the pioneering device.
Medovate is dedicated to working closely with both the National Health Service (NHS) and clinicians in the UK to identify, develop and commercialise innovative medical devices with a focus on improving patient safety on a global scale.
