LEEDS, United Kingdom, Dec. 6, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Medical Solutions plc (LSE:MLS), the specialist healthcare company dedicated to solving identified medical problems, announces that it has made key sales and business development appointments in its Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Division. With these appointments Medical Solutions has completed restructuring the sales team to provide an integrated selling effort for the Division.
Mark McCormack has been appointed UK Sales Manager with immediate effect. Mark, 41, was formerly with Ashbourne Healthcare for a period of 12 years, most recently in the position of Sales Director. In this role he was responsible for sales to National Health Service customers, including Primary Care Groups. This is a promotion for Mark, who has been a member of the sales team of CellPath Limited, a Medical Solutions subsidiary, since July 2001.
Mark will head up the current team of eight dedicated sales people, who will now provide an integrated sales effort for all of the Division's products for its pathology and cytology customers. This includes the AutoCyte range of cervical screening instruments and reagents, the Fairfield Imaging range of digital pathology systems and software, and the CellPath range of cervical screening and laboratory supplies. The team includes a specialist responsible for Kinetic Imaging's range of digital imaging solutions for biomedical and life science researchers. Mark will report to Terry Hammett, 57, who was appointed Sales Director of the Division at the end of October. CellPath will retain its own telesales operation, reporting directly to Terry Hammett.
Graham Hall has been appointed Head of Business Development for PathLore. Graham joins Medical Solutions from Science Warehouse, a Leeds-based company providing e-commerce solutions to the Life Sciences Industry. He was previously at Roche Diagnostics, which he joined in 1991, where he held senior sales and marketing positions within the Laboratory Systems Division as Regional Manager, National Account Manager and most recently, National Sales Manager for Molecular Systems. Prior to Roche, Graham held sales positions with LEP Scientific and Technicon Instruments (now part of Bayer Diagnostics). Throughout his career, starting with laboratory posts at the London and Northwick Park Hospitals, Graham has had a close association with the NHS pathology service. From December 17, Graham will be responsible for developing the Remote Locum and Cancer Reference Laboratory service businesses of PathLore.
Trevor Twose, Chief Executive, Medical Solutions commented, "These appointments bring a wealth of relevant sales and NHS experience complementing that of Terry Hammet, and complete this phase of building a sales and business development team focused on our Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology business.
"We can now look forward to realizing the commercial promise of our products and services, which we believe can provide solutions to several of the most pressing problems facing the NHS cervical screening and pathology services. Moreover, with the prospects of additional funds being made available to the NHS and more opportunities for partnership working between the private sector and the NHS, these appointments could not be more timely."
Notes for Editors:
Terry Hammett has more than 30 years of experience in the medical sector of industry. In addition to his role as Sales Director, he retains his appointment as Managing Director of CellPath plc, to which he was appointed in October 2000. Terry was previously with Schwartz Pharma in the UK, where he held the position of Managing Director, prior to which he was Marketing Director. Previously he held senior sales and marketing positions with Astra Pharmaceuticals in the UK.
The Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Division consists of CellPath plc, based in Newtown, Mid Wales; Fairfield Imaging Limited, based in Tunbridge Wells; PathLore Limited, based in Nottingham; and Kinetic Imaging Limited, based in Bromborough, Wirral.
CellPath manufactures and sells a range of consumables for cytology and histology, including the Aylesbury spatula, used internationally for taking samples for cervical screening and preparing them for testing. CellPath markets the AutoCyte range instruments and reagents for liquid-based cervical (LBC) screening, in the UK and Eire. CellPath is participating in the ongoing NHS/NICE implementation trial of LBC. LBC has been shown to reduce significantly the number of cervical samples that cannot be read by cytologists (and which constitute a 9% wastage rate presently). LBC has also been shown to produce slides that are easier to read in routine screening operations, increasing operator efficiency, cutting down on operator fatigue and reducing errors.
Fairfield Imaging designs, develops and markets a range of digital imaging solutions for pathologists. The PathSight telepathology system facilitates capture, storage and transmission of digital microscope images for pathologists, including enabling a pathologist to take control of a microscope remotely, to perform a diagnosis or give a second opinion. It also facilitates multidisciplinary team working, a cornerstone of pathology provision in the NHS plans to improve cancer services.
PathLore aims to assist the NHS in the delivery of pathology services. PathLore provides support via its Remote Locum Service for NHS trusts that are suffering from the current severe shortage of histopathologists. The Remote Locum Service draws on a team of 35 consultant histopathologists, most of whom have high national or international standing for their specialist expertise, who remain in post within the NHS. Launched in June 2001, to date it has provided support for eight NHS trusts. PathLore expects to launch its Cancer Reference Laboratory Service early in 2002, offering cancer-related laboratory tests that are suited for reasons of their highly specialized nature to centralization of testing.
Kinetic Imaging develops and sells a range of customized and standardized digital microscopy and digital imaging solutions for biomedical and other life-science researchers in the pharmaceutical industry, hospital and other research institutions and universities. The products are used to track processes in individual living cells and to identify and measure DNA damage caused by chemical and physical agents. Among the applications of the latter products are safety studies in drug development, and environmental monitoring for potentially harmful agents.