Master distribution agreement

LIDCO GROUP PLC

("LiDCO" or the "Company" or "the Group")

Master distribution agreement

LiDCO (AIM: LID), the hemodynamic monitoring company, announces that it has signed a master distribution agreement for all of LiDCO products with Fieldman Medical for selected territories across the Asia Pacific area.

The agreement is an initial two year contract to actively promote the LiDCO product range and covers selected markets in South East Asia & Australasia, namely: the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Fieldman Medical will take responsibility for distributor management in those territories as well as the co-ordination of the regulatory, registration, and competitive activities.

Fieldman Medical has developed a partner ecosystem that strives to improve healthcare for all the people of the Asia Pacific region by bringing the latest and most advanced developments in healthcare to the region. This is a particularly powerful offering for small to medium sized companies with excellent clinical product but with limited resources to address global markets.

Commenting Matt Sassone, Chief Executive Officer, said:

"As with the MedAssets deal announced recently this is another example of our creative approach to making our products available globally.

"The agreement with Fieldman Medical in Asia creates a significant opportunity to improve people's lives across Asia Pacific by making our hemodynamic monitoring solutions available during surgical procedures. Fieldman's approach creates an opportunity for us as a developer and manufacturer of innovative devices, to expand availability of our products worldwide without significantly increasing our cost base. It also allows us to overcome the challenges of addressing the complexities of culture, language, accessibility and regulation across many countries."

About LiDCO Group Plc (www.lidco.com)

LiDCO is a supplier of non-invasive and minimally invasive hemodynamic equipment to hospitals used to monitor the amount of blood flowing around the body and ensure that vital organs are adequately oxygenated. LiDCO's products facilitate the application of hemodynamic optimisation protocols for high risk patients in both critical care units and in the operating theatre. 

Increasingly clinical studies are showing that the optimisation of patients' hemodynamic status in high risk patients produces better outcomes and reduced hospital stay. LiDCO's computer-based technology, developed at St Thomas' Hospital in London, has been shown to significantly reduce morbidity and complications, length of stay and overall costs associated with major surgery.

Key Products:

LiDCOplus: a computer-based platform monitor used in the Intensive Care Unit for real-time continuous display of hemodynamic parameters including cardiac output, oxygen delivery and fluid-volume responsiveness (PPV% and SVV%).

LiDCOrapid: a cardiac output monitor designed specifically for use in the operating theatre for fluid and drug management. The monitor enables anaesthetists to receive accurate and immediate feedback on the patient's fluid and hemodynamic status - a key measure of overall well-being before, during and after surgery. The LiDCOrapid provides:

· early and rapid warning of hemodynamic change to aid choice of therapeutic route: fluid or drug

· quantification of hemodynamic response

· guidance on effective delivery of fluids to ensure the right amount at the right time

LiDCOview: an easy-to-use graphical display of historical LiDCOplus and LiDCOrapid hemodynamic data.

LiDCO Unity Software: software incorporated into LiDCOrapid v2 that allows the LiDCOrapid monitor to co-display Covidien's level of consciousness parameter ('BISTM')* and add the convenience of CNSystem's continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitoring ('CNAP')**. This will address a growing requirement for non-invasive monitoring solutions that are more comprehensive and can effectively replace multiple single parameter monitors. 

*BISTM and Bispectral Index are trademarks of Covidien LP registered in the US and foreign countries.

**CNAPTM is a trademark of CNSystems Medizintechnik AG.

LiDCO monitors use single-patient disposables (sensors or smartcards) which provide an ongoing revenue stream.

LiDCO Distribution Network:

LiDCO sells directly to hospitals in the UK and USA and through a network of specialty critical care and anaesthesia distributors in the rest of the world.

LiDCO's marketing office is in Cambridge, its manufacturing facility and headquarters are in London and its shares are traded on AIM.