Company's DSU Products offer biologically safer water through point-of-use ultrafiltration NEW YORK, July 14
NEW YORK, July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nephros, Inc. (Amex: NEP), a
medical device company, announced today that it will be exhibiting its Dual
Stage Ultrafilter products at the American Society for Healthcare Engineering
(ASHE) Conference and Technical Exhibition in National Harbor, Maryland, July
20th-23rd, 2008. Building on the success of the Nephros online
hemodiafiltration technology, the Nephros Dual Stage Ultrafilter (DSU)
delivers water free of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other biologically
hazardous elements. The Company believes the DSU can be an important addition
to the hospital's arsenal in addressing water-borne hospital acquired
infection (HAI) risks, and therefore help to reduce infection-related hospital
costs and liability associated with prolonged hospital stays, additional care
requirements, and patient mortality.
HAIs of all types are a significant problem in the U.S. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are over 2 million
HAIs annually in the U.S., resulting in an estimated $30.5 billion in
additional healthcare costs and over 100,000 in-hospital deaths. The federal
Medicare program recently announced that, beginning in October 2008, it will
no longer pay extra costs associated with certain types of HAIs. A variety of
pathogens survives and even thrives in hospital plumbing systems despite
chemical and heat-based treatments designed to eradicate them.
"Hospitals and related healthcare settings recognize that water-borne
pathogens represent a substantial risk, and are taking measures to protect
their patient populations accordingly. We believe that, when addressing
water-borne HAIs, hospitals will seek a product that both has the biological
stopping power to protect patients, and is convenient and cost-effective. The
Nephros DSU delivers by offering exceptional filtration performance,
throughput and product longevity," said Norman Barta, CEO of Nephros.
"In a healthcare environment, water needs to be held to a much higher
standard than tap or bottled water can typically provide. Bottled water has
additional issues with low water volumes and plastic waste. Our
ultra-purifying filter (with a 0.005 micrometers membrane) far exceeds the CDC
recommendation of 0.2 micrometers(bacterial) filtration, producing
biologically safer water for sinks, showers, and a broad range of related
water applications," said Joleen Turner, Nephros's Vice President of
Marketing.
The Nephros DSU point-of-use filter was installed and tested at major
northeast medical centers as a proactive measure to prevent the spread of
Legionella and other potentially lethal pathogens. The DSU filter provided an
effective barrier against waterborne microbial contamination and demonstrated
exceptional product longevity.
About Nephros, Inc.
Nephros, Inc., headquartered in New York, is a medical device company
developing and marketing products designed to improve the quality of life for
the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patient, while addressing the critical
financial and clinical needs of the care provider. ESRD is a disease state
characterized by the irreversible loss of kidney function. Nephros products
are sold and distributed throughout Europe and are currently being used in
over fifty clinics in Europe.
Nephros also markets a line of water filtration products incorporating its
patented dual stage cold sterilization filtration technology, the Dual Stage
Ultrafilter (DSU), which produces biologically safe water. The DSU has the
capability to filter out bacteria and, due to its exceptional filtration
levels, filter out many viruses, parasites, and other biotoxins as well. The
DSU is in a pilot-use program at a major U.S. medical center and has been
selected for further development by the U.S. Marine Corps.
For more information on Nephros, please visit the Company's website at
www.nephros.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release that are not historical facts constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "PSLRA"). Such statements may be preceded
by words such as "may," "plans," "expects," "believes," "hopes," "potential"
or similar words. For such statements, Nephros claims the protection of the
PSLRA.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are
based on assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond Nephros's control. Actual results may
differ materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the risks that
Nephros may not be able: (i) to obtain funding if and when needed or on
favorable terms; (ii) to continue as a going concern; (iii) to liquidate its
short-term investments when needed to fund its operations; (iv) to maintain
compliance with the AMEX's continued listing standards; (v) to demonstrate in
pre-clinical or clinical trials the anticipated efficacy, safety or cost
savings of products that appeared promising to Nephros in research or clinical
trials; (vi) to obtain appropriate or necessary governmental approvals to
achieve its business plan or effectively market its products; (vii) to have
its technologies and products accepted in current or future target markets; or
(viii) to secure or enforce adequate legal protection, including patent
protection, for its products. More detailed information about Nephros and the
risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is
set forth in Nephros' filings with the SEC, including Nephros' Annual Report
on Form 10-KSB filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007,
and Nephros' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31,
2008. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free
of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Nephros does not undertake to
publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Nephros, Inc.
