HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Nov. 15, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iTech Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:IMSU) (FWB:0IM), a medical information technology company, announced that it has completed a large clinical study of the company's Muscle Pattern Recognition (MPR) technology. The Company also announced the appointment of Karl R. Wolcott as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Karl Wolcott is an accomplished sales and marketing executive with proven success in driving dynamic growth for global companies. In his new role, Mr. Wolcott is responsible for developing and implementing strategic initiatives to begin sales of the MPR System throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia, expected to begin in 2011.
The Company reported that the study, which was conducted at the Utah Spine & Joint Center, enrolled 602 subjects, aged 18-62 years old, with approximately equal gender separation and a wide variation in ethnic backgrounds. The primary objective of the study was to demonstrate that the MPR System could consistently and reproducibly differentiate clinically designated "abnormal" subjects with neck and/or back pain from "normal controls," on the basis of select sEMG measures of muscle activation levels and muscle recruitment patterns.
"This was a large study and the MPR System operated flawlessly in the clinical setting," said Dr. Alan Goldman, Vice President, Medical and Scientific Affairs at iTech Medical.
MPR is a non-invasive, proprietary technology platform that objectively analyses patterns of muscle recruitment - the engagement of muscles in order to perform specific body movements. The MPR technology is currently being developed as a clinical assessment tool that the Company believes can assist in the diagnosis and treatment of back and neck pain - one of the most common problems faced by a large portion of the world's population.
"We are very pleased with the preliminary review of the results," commented Dr. Alan Goldman. "We had a tremendous response to our subject recruiting efforts from individuals in all walks of life and we believe our reference database is a good representative sample of the North American working population as well as an industrialized population at large. Our research team, along with members of our Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, is now completing a thorough review of the clinical data and we'll be announcing the results as soon as they become available."
"North Americans currently spend over $80 billion a year looking for relief from back and neck pain yet that money hasn't helped reduce the number of sufferers. Completing the Utah clinical data collection and system validation study is an important milestone for us because it takes us a step closer to addressing the needs of this important global market as well as meeting our own commercial goals in North America, the EU and the rest of the world," said iTech Medical President and CEO Wayne Cockburn.
iTech Medical stated that based on a preliminary review of the current clinical data, it is now planning an international study with a focus on clinical outcomes and economic benefits of using the MPR System as an adjunct tool in the evaluation of musculoskeletal function of the neck and back and the development of appropriate rehabilitation protocols for neck and back sprains and strains.
"Back pain is one of the most prevalent and costly health problems in the industrialized world and we plan to address this problem head-on in our upcoming outcome study," said Dr. Goldman. "In this multi-center, multi-jurisdictional study, we hope to demonstrate that by using the MPR System as part of the diagnostic process in patients with back pain related to muscle function, we can significantly reduce the high costs associated with back pain and expedite a patient's return to their normal lifestyle."
Interview with Wayne Cockburn, CEO & President of iTech Medical: http://premierstocks.tv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=247:imsu
About Alan J. Goldman, M.D.
Dr. Alan Goldman joined iTech Medical as Vice President, Clinical and Medical Affairs in September 2003. Prior to joining iTech Medical, Dr. Goldman was a practicing Board Certified neurologist for 27 years and an Associate Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of California (Irvine). He served as a neurology consultant to numerous insurers and served for four years on the Medical Advisory Board of Blue Cross. Dr. Goldman currently serves as an expert witness in Workers' Compensation and general liability litigation matters and is also a Medical Panel Chairperson for the State of Utah Labor Commission.
Dr. Alan Goldman interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHoX4IEpbQ8
About iTech Medical
iTech Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:IMSU) (FWB:0IM) is engaged in the research and commercial development of healthcare information systems and technologies. To date, the Company has focused on developing a proprietary platform called Muscle Pattern Recognition (MPR), a unique clinical tool for the analysis of muscle function. iTech Medical is ISO 13485:2003 certified for the production and sale of surface electromyography (sEMG) diagnostic devices for clinical use. The ISO 13485:2003 quality standard is recognized as the international standard for quality management systems specific to the design, development and production of medical devices.
For the latest information on iTech Medical, please visit our website at www.iTechMedical.com
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that reflect management's current views and estimates regarding future market conditions, company performance and financial results, business prospects, new strategies, the competitive environment and other events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "project," "plan," "outlook," and other words and terms of similar meaning.
These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to materially differ from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements are the following: general economic conditions, acquisitions and development of new businesses, divestitures, product availability, sales volumes, pricing actions and promotional activities of our competitors, profit margins, weather, changes in law or regulations, foreign currency fluctuation, availability of suitable real estate locations, our ability to react to a disaster recovery situation, and the impact of labor markets and new product introductions on our overall profitability.
A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in the company's annual report and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, iTech Medical's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2010. iTech Medical cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not complete and assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements that it may make.