Member Article

Healthcare 21 signs new distribution agreement with German medical manufacturer for UK and Ireland

Healthcare business Healthcare 21 (HC21), which has its UK headquarters in Leeds, has entered into a long-term distribution agreement for the UK and Ireland with German medical device manufacturer, Medskin Solutions Suwelack AG.

The healthcare distributor has signed the new partnership agreement with the biomedical skin and tissue specialist MedSkin Solutions to exclusively distribute the MatriDerm Dermal Matrix across both the UK and Ireland for five years.

The product specialises in the treatment of serious burns and wounds. MatriDerm restores the skin’s biomechanics, reducing scarring and accelerating the healing process.

Since its first introduction in 2005, the product has been used in over 60,000 cases in applications like burns, trauma and cases of deep wounds caused through surgery with startling results.

Founded 15 years ago in BillerbeckGermany, by Dr Suwelack, Medskin Solutions has 135 staff and exports its skin treatment products across the world.

Healthcare 21 (HC21), which currently operates across the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria, has an aim of increasing turnover to more than €100m inside three years.

Diana Ferro, president and chief executive of MedSkin Solutions, said: “We are delighted with the progress of the MatriDerm® product and have received some excellent feedback from surgeons using it across Europe and the rest of the world.

“In Healthcare 21 we have a distributor with a significant and well-resourced network, established relationships and excellent specialist knowledge that will be able to boost market penetration.

“This means that many more people who have already endured pain through injury, surgery, illness or attack do not then have to deal with something that is physically life changing.

“The MatriDerm product is more likely to deliver less or no scarring, resulting in an improved aesthetic outcome for the patient, and faster healing by virtue of its unique one step procedure, with an ability to grow with the patient, particularly pertinent in the case of babies and children.

“These benefits all come without differing greatly in the application of the process from other procedures so it doesn’t require any further specialist training for the surgeon.

“Further, the reasons behind its unique success are equally as applicable to deep wounds caused by surgery, skin damage relating to cancer, other diseases or burns.”

David Plotts, business development director for HC21 based in Leeds, said: “We are delighted to have secured a new partnership agreement which will give MedSkin Solutions Dr. Suwelack AG continued sales, marketing, logistics and customer service support for this particular product.

“We are a large distributor with a dedicated and highly skilled sales force and our existing expertise in biological and surgical specialist markets gives us a very strong track record for this particular partnership.

“Our existing portfolios fit well with the new product and the agreement will allow us to expand our existing sales operations further down the line.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Andrew Willis .