Collaboration for i-port Advance Injection Port

Patton Medical Devices, manufacturer of the i-port and a leader of injection port therapy, announces that they have entered into a partnership agreement with Unomedical, a leading manufacturer of single use medical devices used in the treatment of diabetes.

The two companies are working together to design and develop the i-port Advance, the first subcutaneous injection port for people taking multiple daily injections to include a disposable inserter, that will assist patients with the application process and eliminate the need for manual insertion. The i-port Advance, similar in design to the i-port, will also provide improved features which may help to reduce insertion pain and enhance the user experience.

"We are excited about working with a global, industry leading company such as Unomedical which, like us, believes in the injection port therapy market opportunity. With the i-port Advance, users will experience an application feature similar to the inserter technology used to apply most insulin pump infusion sets. Based on feedback received from people living with diabetes, diabetes educators, physicians and hospital nurses, we believe the i-port Advance may help alleviate the potential for error from an improper manual insertion while providing the key benefit of having a simple way to deliver injections without the need to puncture the skin for each dose of medication," says John Burns, president, Patton Medical Devices.

As part of the agreement, Patton Medical Devices has exclusive rights to market and distribute the i-port Advance both in the United States and international markets while Unomedical has exclusive manufacturing rights.

"With the i-port Advance we can offer more people with diabetes access to a user-friendly and safe device designed for safe delivery of insulin. The dedication of Patton Medical Devices towards promoting injection port therapy combined with our expertise in designing and manufacturing high quality insulin delivery devices is a perfect match for bringing this new and innovative product to the market," says John M Lindskog, vice president & general manager, Unomedical Infusion Devices.

Device demonstrations of the i-port Advance will be unveiled at the annual American Association of Diabetes Educators Conference in Atlanta, Georgia August 4-8, 2009. Both companies are working together to have the i-port Advance commercially available in the United States and other select countries by April 2010.

About Patton Medical Devices
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Patton Medical Devices is the manufacturer of the i-port Injection Port. For people taking injections who want to minimize the intrusion of injections on daily life, the i-port is the only product of its kind conceived by a person with diabetes that offers a simple, convenient way to eliminate the need to puncture the skin with each dose of medication. The i-port lets patients focus on living their lives instead of the challenges associated with the next shot. i-port is a registered trademark and i-port Advance is a trademark of Patton Medical Devices. For more information about Patton Medical Devices, its products and services, visit www.i-port.com or www.pattonmd.com.

About Unomedical
Unomedical a/s, located in Denmark, specializes in the development and manufacturing of single use devices used in the treatment of diabetes. It has been a leading provider of infusion sets for insulin pump therapy worldwide since the mid 1980's, and currently manufactures the infusion sets Quick-set, inset and inset 30 among others. Unomedical a/s is a business unit of ConvaTec. inset is a registered trademark of Unomedical a/s and the Quick-set is a registered trademark of and exclusively distributed by Medtronic Minimed. For more information about Unomedical, its products and services, visit www.infusion-set.com or www.unomedical.com.