Smith & Nephew invests in and signs agreement to distribute disruptive Leaf Healthcare pressure injury technology

LONDON, Feb. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew plc (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business, today announces it has taken a strategic investment and signed a distribution agreement with Leaf Healthcare, a developer of a unique wireless patient monitoring system for pressure ulcer/injury prevention.

This agreement supports Smith & Nephew's strategic priority to innovate for value by delivering solutions that help healthcare professionals better improve the life of their patients.

"Smith & Nephew is focused on providing not just products to treat conditions, but also supporting customers through technologies designed to support prevention as well as treatment," said Glenn Warner, President U.S., Smith & Nephew. "The Leaf Patient Monitoring System is designed to help reduce the risk of developing ulcers/injuries as part of a full clinical protocol, making it highly complementary to Smith & Nephew's existing portfolio in this area such as ALLEVYN Life prophylactic dressings and SECURA skin care products."

The Leaf Patient Monitoring System is comprised of a small, lightweight, wearable sensor that wirelessly monitors a patient's position and movement and uses that data to automate and document the management of prescribed turn protocols for patients at risk for ulcers/injuries.

Leaf Healthcare is a privately owned California-based business founded by Barrett Larson and Daniel Shen, graduates of the Stanford University School of Medicine. As students at Stanford, they recognized an unmet need for a data-driven, automated solution for patient turning and began working to develop the Leaf Patient Monitoring System.

"The benefits of patient turning and improved patient mobility are well recognized, including the potential for shorter hospital stays," said Barrett Larson, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Leaf Healthcare. "Aligning with Smith & Nephew will enable us to make our award-winning technology available to clinicians across the U.S., helping prevent pressure ulcers/injuries to the great benefit of patients and healthcare payers."

The Leaf Patient Monitoring System is currently available in the United States where it is in a limited number of hospitals that are seeking to prevent pressure ulcer/injuries in their facilities. This partnership enables this technology to reach a nationwide customer base and is the next step in using technology to change the standard of care. 

The Leaf Patient Monitoring System was named most innovative pressure ulcer/injury prevention product in North America 2016 by Frost & Sullivan. The quantum of Smith & Nephew's investment in Leaf Healthcare has not been disclosed.

About Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping healthcare professionals improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities, Smith & Nephew has around 15,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2016 were more than $4.6 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN).

For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit our website www.smith-nephew.com, follow @SmithNephewplc on Twitter or visit SmithNephewplc on Facebook.com.

Forward-looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pressure ulcer/injury preventioneline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith & Nephew, these factors include: economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payers and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers; competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith & Nephew's expectations.

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SOURCE Smith & Nephew plc