iNeedMD signs $1.5 million Western Africa distribution agreement

iNeedMD Holdings, a medical device development company, announced that it has initiated a distribution relationship with Clifton Africa Ltd (Clifton), a United Kingdom- and Nigeria-based medical supply company for the sale and marketing of The EKG Glove and related products in various West African countries.

Clifton is specifically focused on satisfying the unmet medical device needs of the healthcare systems in Niger, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Republic of Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. The initial term of the Agreement spans 12 months, with minimum product purchases totaling $1.5 million.

As iNeedMD’s President and CEO, Thomas Nicolette noted, “The Clifton Africa Ltd. team brings a wealth of experience and contacts in the ambulatory care and clinical marketplace in Western Africa. They have a keen understanding of the healthcare needs of this vast region which clearly values fast, efficient and portable medical device solutions — all benefits which the user-friendly EKG Glove system encompasses with respect to cardiac care. We are excited to be partnering with Clifton and are ramping up our sales support team to assist their sales organization in implementing The EKG Glove system.”

The electrocardiograph (ECG or EKG) is often used as an inexpensive, screening tool to assess potential cardiac damage in a hypertensive patient.

In sub-Saharan regions of Africa, cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death in adults over the age of 30. Clinical investigators advise that various cardiac disease states, including hypertension, may be the inevitable side effects of economic growth and Westernization due to the introduction of processed foods; some also hypothesize that specific African populations may be more vulnerable to salt retention which may exacerbate hypertensive conditions.

The EKG Glove is a single-use, infection-limiting product, that integrates a standardized system of electrodes and lead wire circuitry into a one-piece, peel-and-stick format. It can easily be positioned on an individual’s chest in less than 60 seconds, making it appropriate for use in pre-hospital, clinics and remote testing environments where time is usually of the essence and access to highly-skilled technicians may be limited.

A single cable connects The EKG Glove to a variety of portable Bluetooth-enabled EKG acquisition devices or more stationary EKG machines offering users a flexible and convenient 12-lead testing platform.