Hazardous Drug Protector Equashield Signs Exclusive Distribution Deal with Aagato Medical BVBA in Top CSTD Market Belgium and Luxembourg

PORT WASHINGTON, New York, June 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Equashield (http://www.equashield.com), a leading provider of Closed System Transfer Devices  (CSTDs) for hazardous drugs, announced today a new exclusive partnership for Belgium and Luxembourg with distributor Aagato Medical BVBA.

"We are determined to provide the strongest solutions available for protecting oncology professionals," said Roel Geysen, CEO of Aagato Medical BVBA. "Our goal is for EQUASHIELD^® closed systems to become the standard for any facility in which hazardous drugs are prepared and administered. We are extremely pleased to be working with Equashield, a partner that is attentive to market needs and is the gold standard for closed systems."

Belgium is a global leader in the adoption of CSTDs, and is evolving towards mandatory implementation of the use of CSTDs to maintain both site sterility (including worker safety) and integrity of the compounded drugs.^[1]

"We are pleased to see Belgium and Luxembourg taking a proactive approach to the safety of the staff that works with these hazardous drugs daily. In fact, Belgium has a reputation of using the highest quality devices on the market," said Marino Kriheli, Founder at Equashield. "Aagato Medical has extensive experience and relationships in these markets and is fortunate to be led by Roel Geysen, a pioneer of closed systems. Roel introduced CSTDs to Belgium 10 years ago - making Belgium one of the first countries to adopt CSTDs - and together with his team has been supporting the safety of nurses and hospital pharmacists. We are proud to work with such a strong partner in these markets."

Studies have linked exposure to hazardous drugs, including potent chemotherapy medications, to an increase in the risk of adverse health effects for medical professionals. Exposure occurs not only through contact with drug residue on syringes and work surfaces, but also through contact with aerosols and vapor while preparing and administering such drugs.

This new partnership continues Equashield's ongoing global expansion, on the heels of announcing the upcoming construction of its new $30 million manufacturing facility to meet the needs of the global market.

^[1] PHARMACEUTICAL INSPECTION CO-OPERATION SCHEME, PIC/S GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE PREPARATION OF MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN HEALTHCARE ESTABLISHMENTS. 1 March 2014

About Aagato Medical

Aagato Medical is a Belgian company that is committed to providing cost effective technologies and solutions for use in cancer care providing institutions and/or sterile compounding facilities. Our solutions must enhance the safety and health of patients and healthcare providers. Aagato Medical BVBA is the exclusive distributor of Equashield® Closed System Transfer Device (CSTD) in Belgium and Luxembourg. For more information, visit the company website at http://www.aagato.com

About Equashield 

Equashield is a leading provider of a full range of manual and automated solutions to hospitals for the compounding and administration of hazardous drugs. Equashield's product suite includes EQUASHIELD II, its flagship Closed System Transfer Device (CSTD), and EQUASHIELD® Pro, the first ever closed system drug compounding robot. Equashield's CSTD is clinically-proven to protect healthcare professionals from hazardous drug exposure.

The globally awarded EQUASHIELD^® II covers more routes of exposure than alternative systems by preventing contamination of syringe plungers and drug residuals on connector surfaces, as well as exposure to drug vapors. Studies have shown Equashield's CSTD to be faster to deploy and easier to use than competing systems, and the system has passed the proposed 2015 alcohol vapor containment protocol from NIOSH, confirming that it can contain the harshest vapors & emissions. EQUASHIELD is in use by hundreds of hospitals and clinics around the world, and has been both cleared by the FDA under the ONB product code, and substantiated in FDA-cleared labeling as preventing microbial ingress for up to seven days. 

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For more information: http://www.equashield.com

Media Contact:
Finn Partners for Equashield
Nicole Grubner
[email protected]
@nicolegrubner
+1-929-222-8011

SOURCE Equashield