B. Braun and Venetec Partner to Reduce Risk of Accidental Needlestick

BETHLEHEM, PA and SAN DIEGO -- B. Braun Medical Inc. and

Venetec International today announced a landmark agreement to jointly market

and sell a revolutionary sharps safety system combining the B. Braun

Introcan Safetyr IV Catheter and Venetec StatLockr IV catheter securement

device to reduce the risk of accidental needlestick injuries and exposure to

bloodborne pathogens.

Under the two-year agreement, effective immediately, B. Braun will offer its

safety-conscious customers the passive-design Introcan Safety IV Catheter,

with built-in securement through Venetec's innovative StatLock IV catheter

securement device for Introcan Safety IV Catheter. The two companies have

closely collaborated to create a peripheral vascular-access system that

offers unparalleled patient safety through:

1. The StatLock securement device's improved clinical outcomes

2. Introcan Safety IV Catheter's passive design needlestick injury

protection

3. Conformity to international color-coding for patient safety,

identifying a venous access device.

"This agreement represents a major achievement in establishing the new

worldwide standard for peripheral IV catheter safety, benefiting patients

and clinicians alike," said Steve Bierman, M.D., medical director and CEO of

Venetec International. "A passive safety catheter (Introcan Safety) with

built-in StatLock securement provides a system that is not only the easiest

to use for clinicians, but also the safest for patients and caregivers. A

new standard of care has been established."

"This partnership with Venetec International enhances our ability to offer

technology that improves patient care while protecting healthcare workers

from accidental needlestick injuries," said Caroll H. Neubauer, chairman and

CEO of B. Braun Medical. "The passive design of the

Introcan Safety IV Catheter, partnered with the custom-designed StatLock IV

catheter securement device for the Introcan Safety IV Catheter, is a unique

combination developed specifically to reduce the risk of exposure to

dangerous bloodborne pathogens."

The passive Introcan Safety IV Catheter is designed to minimize accidental

needlesticks without requiring user activation of the safety mechanism. The

passive design eliminates risk of inadvertent activation, yet the removable

flash-plug and convenient syringe attachment allow the clinician to utilize

the Introcan Safety IV Catheter much like a non-safety IV catheter design.

Compliance is virtually assured without changing technique since the safety

mechanism cannot be bypassed.

StatLock IV catheter securement device for Introcan Safety IV Catheter is

the first peripheral IV securement device to be custom-crafted so it locks

onto the catheter hub - preventing accidental dislodgements and

movement-related complications. The device is also color-coded blue,

signaling a venous access device, to further reduce medical errors.

StatLock IV catheter securement device is proven to reduce patient

complications such as phlebitis and infiltration. Much easier and faster

than tape securement, the StatLock IV catheter securement device also

reduces unscheduled catheter restarts saving hospital nursing staff time

that is now wasted on troubleshooting and restarting tape-secured IVs.

B. Braun and Venetec are members of the National Alliance for the Primary

Prevention of Sharps Injuries (NAPPSI), a nonprofit organization dedicated

to needlestick safety that includes more than 25 corporate members, more

than 1,000 individual clinicians, and major clinician professional

organizations. This collaboration in design, sales, and marketing reflects

NAPPSI's call to manufacturers to work together to maximize safety

protections for nurses and doctors.

This current agreement represents an approximately $20 million, two-year

commitment from B. Braun to Venetec. Under agreements announced last year,

B. Braun also includes the StatLock IV securement device with the B. Braun

ULTRASITEr Needle-Free IV System and includes Venetec's StatLock CV Plus

catheter securement device in B. Braun's Certofixr Central Venous Catheter

kits.