Recently, CareFusion (CFN) acquired the rights from Healthpoint Ltd to market products such as Surgicept waterless surgical hand scrub, Triseptin water-aided surgical scrub and Triseptin hand and body antiseptic in the US. However, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Following this agreement, CareFusion’s skin antiseptic portfolio has strengthened further which is targeted at reducing health care-associated infections (HAIs) related to surgical procedures.
It has been observed that reduction of HAIs is possible if healthcare professionals use proper hand antisepsis before a surgical procedure, although the average compliance rate is quite low, at 40%. Estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the economic impact of HAIs at $35-$45 billion in the US alone. Subsequent to the agreement with Healthpoint, CareFusion will now offer Surgicept for healthcare workers in addition to its own ChloraPrep meant for the patient.
CareFusion offers products in the areas of intravenous infusion, medication and supply dispensing, respiratory care, infection prevention and surgical instruments. The company derives its revenues from two segments, Critical Care Technologies and Medical Technologies and Services (MT&S), which accounted for 67% and 33% of revenues in fiscal 2010, respectively. While the former consists of infusion, dispensing and respiratory care businesses, the latter includes infection prevention and medical specialties products and services.
CareFusion recorded a 10% increase in revenues in the MT&S segment to reach $1,285 million during the last fiscal. Growth in the international surgical products business coupled with interventional specialties products business and growth in infection prevention products business led to higher revenues.
Increased sales of international surgical products resulted from emergency preparedness, including the potential effects of influenza viruses and continued growth in the sale of custom sterile kits. Interventional specialties growth primarily resulted from increased sales of chronic drainage products.
We believe the latest agreement to expand CareFusion’s antiseptic portfolio should further increase revenues from the MT&S segment going ahead.
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