Devon Robotics Announces Per-Dose Pricing Option for its CytoCare™ Robot

Business Wire, April 08, 2009

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. -- Devon Robotics today announced an optional pricing structure for its CytoCare™ robot that eliminates the need for scarce capital funding. Healthcare providers may now acquire CytoCare for $20.00 USD per dose through a creative financing plan that avoids large, “up front” capital expenditures. Included in this simple, fee-per-dose model is the utilization of CytoCare, hardware installation, clinical implementation, interface engineering, all licensing fees and ongoing service and maintenance.

CytoCare is a robotic solution that automates the dangerous and costly processes associated with compounding hazardous IV admixtures in multiple container types and sizes. Multiple scientific studies have shown the need for improvement in both patient and staff safety with respect to hazardous drugs.

In a review of medication errors conducted by Miller, et al., of Johns Hopkins University, which included error types, causes and outcomes, it was determined that, in a five year period, over 300 errors involving chemotherapy doses actually reached pediatric patients. Other studies have identified the risk of accidental exposure of healthcare workers to hazardous drugs, including identifying cyclophosphamide in the urine of hospital staff members. The importance of protecting staff members is underscored in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) report entitled “Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings.” The report warns that “working with or near hazardous drugs in health care settings may cause skin rashes, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects, and possibly leukemia or other cancers.” CytoCare is the world’s first and only robotic system for the safe preparation of hazardous, patient-specific cancer therapy intravenous medications, virtually eliminating human handling of these toxic substances.

CytoCare protects patients with state-of-the-art safety features to ensure that doses are prepared precisely as ordered by physicians. These include laser-guided volume measurement, pre- and post-weight verification for dose accuracy, bar code and image scanning for drug identification, a self-contained, ISO 5 compounding environment and clean containers for every drug transfer to avoid cross contamination. Sophisticated software is included to help manage complicated oncology protocols and to drive the exceptionally accurate robot.

CytoCare protects pharmacy and nursing staff members from accidental exposure to hazardous drugs by isolating them from the processes that are associated with such exposure. It utilizes a negative pressure air-handling system that is properly vented to ensure the containment of potentially contaminated air. Human interaction is limited to loading and unloading the robot, as all drug transfers are carried out in the compounding chamber by a robotic arm. The entire system, both hardware and software, is designed to be integrated into the facility’s strategic safety plan. Robust interfaces are used to allow communication between the facility’s information system and CytoPlan, the robot’s order management and operating software. Even waste management is fully addressed using an automatically-sealed, chemotherapy-appropriate waste container that isolates hazardous waste to avoid accidental exposure.

The University of Colorado Hospital is among the U.S. healthcare facilities that are utilizing CytoCare, and cites clinician safety as a main benefit (http://www.devonrobotics.com/pharmacy-issues.aspx).

“Every pharmacist we have talked to believes that CytoCare is the future of safe cancer therapy and hazardous IV drug preparation,” says John A. Bennett, M.D., Devon Robotics’ CEO. “CytoCare’s state-of-the-art technology also increases dose accuracy to reduce potentially fatal medication errors, reduces drug waste, and improves pharmacy workflow. Given the current economic climate, we wanted to give healthcare facilities another option to access these benefits from CytoCare and not rely on ever-shrinking capital budgets. Now healthcare facilities can acquire CytoCare without up-front costs, and we believe this structure will continue CytoCare’s momentum in the United States.”

About Devon Robotics

Devon Robotics is a medical robotics company that is revolutionizing the way hazardous drugs and life-critical IV medications are prepared in the United States. The company is the exclusive North American distributor of Health Robotics’ CytoCare™, the world’s first and only automated robotic system for the safe preparation of hazardous, patient-specific intravenous medications, and i.v.STATION™, an automated robotic solution for the safe compounding of life-critical non-hazardous intravenous medications and injectables. Devon Robotics is a Devon International Group company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Visit www.devonrobotics.com for more information.