PARI, BOC Team Up for Drug Delivery System Study

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. — PARI, a developer and manufacturer in aerosol delivery, and BOC, a global provider of medical gases, have signed an agreement to study the effects of gas-enabled drug delivery systems using Heliox. Heliox, the common name for mixtures of helium and oxygen, is three times lighter than air, which makes it easier for patients with compromised lung function to breathe.

The creation of an innovative Heliox delivery device with a customized nebulizer would help critically ill patients by delivering oxygen and aerosol to the lungs with less effort than breathing air. The goal is to improve the delivery range of aerosol therapies used to treat exacerbations of conditions such as asthma, COPD and bronchiolitis.

"Our collaboration with BOC marks an important step toward a commercially available aerosol delivery system that optimizes results using gases other than air or enriched oxygen. We are certain that PARI's 100-year history in developing aerosol delivery systems can improve patient outcomes when using Heliox as well," stated Werner Gutmann, president, PARI Respiratory Equipment.

"We're delighted that PARI shares our vision of novel, easy-to-use drug delivery systems that will enable doctors to safely and reliably provide potentially life-saving therapies," said Brad Walker, managing director of BOC's Medical Division.

As study results become available later this year, PARI and BOC plan to share information with physicians and clinics.

For more information, visit www.pari.com.

This article originally appeared in the June 2006 issue of HME Business.

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