North West medtech firm signs first major distribution agreement

Enteral Access Technologies (E.A.T.), a medical device company headquartered in Liverpool, has signed its first major distribution agreement with Medicina, a large trust-wide distributor of medical devices for enteral feeding.

Under the terms of the agreement, Medicina will market and sell DoubleCHEK™ to hospitals and end users throughout the UK and Ireland.  The distribution agreement may be expanded to cover additional products and territories in the future.

DoubleCHEK is a patented device that uses CO₂ and pH indicators to prevent the misplacement of feeding tubes into the lungs, a ‘never event’ in the NHS. Using its proprietary valve and pump system, it collects small samples of aspirate to the indicator tests, ‘double checking’ correct placement and reducing the potential for harm.

The distributor announcement follows a successful funding round in which the company secured £750,000 to manufacture the DoubleCHEK device in the UK.

George Gallagher, CEO, Enteral Access Technologies, said:

“Medicina is a great partner for E.A.T. They have the scale, infrastructure, reputation, and complementary product portfolio to power DoubleCHEK to a market share leading position. We are pleased that Medicina recognizes the innovation and patient safety elements that DoubleCHEK offers to clinicians in the fight against Never Events.”

NHS Supply Chain purchases a million nasogastric (NG) feeding tubes annually, which take skill and experience to insert correctly. Feeding tube misplacement results in significant patient harm and can be life threatening, so the partnership presents an opportunity to significantly improve patient safety when it comes to NG placement.

Appraising the decision to partner with E.A.T, Medicina Managing Director Tracey Macdonald said:

“Enteral feeding is a critical need for many patients and offering DoubleCHEK will provide an additional layer of safety when nasogastric tubes are used to deliver enteral nutrition. We expect DoubleCHEK™ to do very well as there is a clear need for this product within the healthcare market.”