STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 02, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Gambro BCT, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gambro AB (Other OTC:GAMOF) (Other OTC:GAMBF)(Stockholmsborsen: GAMBaST), a leading international medical technology and healthcare company, and MAK- SYSTEM International Group, a world leader in developing software for managing blood banks and blood transfusion activities, today announced an alliance to integrate MAK-SYSTEM's PROGESA(R) software suite with the Gambro BCT Vista(TM) Information System in order to share critical donor, blood collection and blood center operations information.
"Vista is an innovative software solution connecting donors, blood center operations and blood collection devices," stated David Perez, President of Gambro BCT. Key Vista features include blood component loss tracking, interfaces with collection devices, automated donor management, and business decision support. Mr. Perez added, "We designed Vista to integrate with applications used by our customers. We are very pleased that this integration will be available to our customers."
"Integrating PROGESA(R) with Vista will enable the seamless sharing of critical donor information, creating a real-time, high performance automated blood collection management system for blood centers," said Stephane Sajot, Vice President of Sales for MAK-SYSTEM. Blood centers will gain enhanced donor recruitment, productivity and satisfaction, as well as better decision-making capabilities necessary to change collection priorities to meet fluctuating hospital demand. "We designed MAK-SYSTEM software on an open technology platform so we can better integrate with other applications used by hospitals and blood banks in different countries around the world. Gambro BCT can help us do that because of their leadership in blood collection technology," Mr. Sajot continued.
Technical trials of a two-way Vista and PROGESA(R) interface are currently underway at BSI headquarters, located in Phoenix, Arizona. "Blood Systems, Inc. is dedicated to providing a safe and adequate blood supply which meets the health and safety needs of individuals, healthcare organizations and our communities," explained Patrick McEvoy, Executive Vice President. Gambro BCT's Trima systems, along with the Vista and PROGESA(R) integrated software, help us assure we have the right blood components available at the right time, in the right quantity for our hospitals," he added. Blood Systems Inc. is the largest independent supplier of blood products and transfusion services in the United States.
About MAK-SYSTEM International MAK-SYSTEM is a world leader in developing software for managing blood banks and blood transfusion activities. 600 Customers across 23 countries, among which the United States, including 14 National implementations, currently use MAK-SYSTEM products. MAK-SYSTEM's feature- rich medical information management systems, e-PROGESA (JAVA - WEB Based technology) and Trace Line, help blood banks and transfusion services achieve significant efficiency throughout their organization, improve safety and ensure full traceability of blood from donor collection to patient transfusion.
About Gambro BCT
Gambro BCT is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swedish medical technology and healthcare company, Gambro AB, and is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado. Gambro BCT is a world leader in blood bank technologies: automated blood collection systems, automated component processing, pathogen reduction techniques, and value added blood and cell based therapeutic services.
For further information please contact: David Perez, President, Gambro BCT, tel. +1-303-232-6800 or visit the website www.gambrobct.com Stephane Sajot, Vice President, MAK-SYSTEM, tel. +33-1-48 63 27 27 or visit the website www.mak-system.com
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