The Cambridge-based medical device development company has partnered with Omneya Medical Co. to distribute its SAFIRA device in Kuwait.
Medovate, a medical device development company in the United Kingdom, has announced its first partnership in the Middle East. The Cambridge-based specialist has teamed up with Kuwait’s Omneya Medical Co. to distribute its SAFIRA (SAFer Injection for Regional Anesthesia) device in the Gulf country.
Developed “in collaboration with clinicians from the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK,” SAFIRA is described by the manufacturer as a “revolutionary Class II medical device set to transform regional anesthesia around the world by making it a one-person procedure.”
According to Medovate, it allows a single anesthesiologist to control an injection, allowing additional team members to focus on other tasks. The device also reportedly reduces the risk of nerve damage due to automatically limiting injection pressure to less than 20psi.
“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,” said Medovate’s sales and marketing director, Chris Rogers.
As per studies cited by Medovate, the company is hoping that SAFIRA “has the potential to make a significant impact” in the Middle East, a region where it is expecting to see the anaesthesia devices market “experience further growth in the next five years.”
The company said in a statement: “Recent publications, including a joint statement by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management (ASRA) and the European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA), have recommended regional anesthesia be considered whenever surgery is planned for a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient.
“This is because it preserves respiratory function and avoids aerosolization and the potential for transmission of COVID-19 compared to general anesthesia.”
The device was co-invented by former NHS medic, Emad Fawzy, who is currently consultant anesthesiologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi. Medovate confirmed that Fawzy will be “providing additional clinical advocacy in the Middle East.”
“We are pleased to enter this strategic agreement with Medovate, which will be the beginning of further cooperation between our companies,” said Jarrah Al Mutairi, managing director at Omneya Medical Co. “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.”
