Hospira Launches in the Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands (ots/PRNewswire)
- Hospira Healthcare B.V. will also serve as regional headquarters for Europe, Middle East and Africa --
Today Hospira, Inc. (pronounced Hos-PEER-ah), a global independent specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company created in April 2004 from the core global hospital products business of Abbott Laboratories, announced that it has established its presence in Europe with the launch of its Netherlands operation. As a result, Abbott B.V. will transition its sales, marketing and distribution activities regarding its hospital products portfolio, including electronic pumps, infusion therapy, critical care products and specialty injectable pharmaceuticals, to Hospira Healthcare B.V. Hospira is dedicated to Advancing Wellness(TM): a pledge to develop, manufacture and market products that help improve the safety and efficacy of patient care.
Hospira Healthcare B.V. also serves as the company's regional headquarters for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and is responsible for commercial operations, including sales and marketing; customer service; human resources; finance; information technology; and medical and regulatory support for countries within this geographic area.
The launch of Hospira in the Netherlands is an important advancement in the company's strategy to establish an independent international infrastructure. In 2004, Hospira generated approximately $2.6 billion (USD) in sales with approximately 15 percent coming from sales outside the United States. As Hospira expands its international presence, the company will broaden its offering of innovative technology solutions to the rest of the world. As the international marketplace outside the United States is at least as large as the size of the U.S. hospital market, Hospira is well positioned for growth.
"Hospira has strong relationships with our hospital customers developed over many years," said John Scott, regional director, Hospira Healthcare B.V. "As an established leader in the hospital market, Hospira is excited about our opportunities as an independent company to advance wellness for our hospital customers and patients in the EMEA region."
A Rich History, a Solid Outlook
Customer relationships are at the heart of Hospira's businesses and provide a strong base for future growth. Hospira has long-standing customer relationships worldwide that span "the continuum of care" -- hospitals, alternate site clinics, home healthcare providers and long-term care facilities.
"We expect that customers will embrace a company like Hospira that is dedicated to the hospital and can offer new technologies and tools that will enable doctors, hospital pharmacists and nurses to provide the safest and highest-quality care for their patients in a cost-effective manner," said Tjerk Balk, country manager, Netherlands, Hospira Healthcare B.V.
A Leader in Patient and Healthcare Worker Safety
Globally, Hospira is a leader in developing and providing patient and healthcare worker safety solutions. Improving patient safety is a global problem. In fact, a number of countries have already initiated patient safety plans and legislation to help address the issue. Additionally, in 2004, the World Health Organization launched the World Health Alliance for Patient Safety to coordinate a global response to this growing concern.
Hospira is dedicated to enhancing patient and healthcare worker safety through continued innovation in products, programs and processes. For example, Hospira is at the forefront of eliminating needles from its products to protect healthcare workers against needlestick injuries and blood exposure, resulting in improved workplace safety. Hospira also completed one of the largest bar coding efforts in the industry, encompassing more than 1,000 hospital injectable pharmaceuticals and I.V. solutions -- a major step toward reducing medication errors and improving patient safety. Globally, bar coding pharmaceuticals has been discussed as one way to minimize medication errors by ensuring that the right drug in the right dose gets to the right patient in the right way at the right time.
Hospira is also committed to advancing patient safety through the continued development of medication management systems and software that can reduce the potential for medication errors, a worldwide challenge for all healthcare providers. Hospitals have been focusing increased attention and resources on how to prevent these errors. Hospira's infusion devices and software can provide a way for customers to help reduce the likelihood of medication errors during the administration phase of I.V. therapy.
Hospira Healthcare B.V. will work with its customers and other interested groups in the region to identify and evaluate the suitability of products that can help address the recognised issues of medication errors and patient and healthcare worker safety within Europe.
About Hospira
Hospira, Inc. is a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company dedicated to Advancing Wellness(TM) by developing, manufacturing and marketing products that help improve the productivity, safety and efficacy of patient care. Created from the core global hospital products business of Abbott Laboratories in April 2004, Hospira is a new company with 70 years of service to the hospital industry. The company's portfolio includes: one of the industry's broadest lines of generic acute-care injectables, which help address the high cost of proprietary pharmaceuticals in hospitals; integrated solutions for medication management and infusion therapy; and the leading U.S. injectable contract manufacturing business. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., United States, north of Chicago, Hospira has approximately 13,000 employees and 14 manufacturing facilities worldwide. For news and other information, visit www.hospira.nl or www.hospira.com.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- A Caution
Concerning Forward-Looking StatementsSome statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Hospira cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Hospira's operations and may cause actual results to be materially different from expectations include the risks and uncertainties set forth under the heading "Item 1 Business -- Risk Factors" in Hospira's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2004, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference. Hospira undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as the result of subsequent events or developments.
Web site: http://www.hospira.com
Contact:
Media, John Scott of Hospira Healthcare B.V., +31-23-5560100,
Rosalinde van de Wall of Fleishman-Hillard, +31-20-4065930/Photo:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040503/HSPLOGO, AP
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