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RedHawk Acquires Needle Destruction Technology
LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA: RedHawk Holdings Corp. (OTC: IDNG) (RedHawk or the Company) announced today that RedHawk Medical Products, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has acquired the world-wide exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights to certain intellectual properties which the Company believes will significantly expand the current market capabilities of its SANDD mini (SANDD mini) needle destruction unit. SANDD mini is the only FDA approved portable, battery operated, needle destruction device that eliminates the use of sharps containers for disposal in both clinical and home settings.
Originally designed for use in a home setting primarily by diabetics, RedHawk re-engineered the original technology in 2017 to also permit use of the SANDD mini in clinical settings by allergist, dermatologist, cosmetologist, plastic surgeons and other medical specialties without the need for sharps containers for needle disposal. The SANDD mini is designed for use as a safe and environmentally friendly method to dispose needles following their use and is an effective alternative to hazardous waste needle disposal utilizing sharps containers. The SANDD mini also meets all OSHA workplace safety guidelines for needle disposal. It is intended for the incineration and environmentally friendly disposal of 27-30 gauge hypodermic needles that are 5/16 to ½ inch in length. It can be used with most insulin pens with disposable insulin syringes ranging in volumes from 1/3 to 1 cubic centimeter.
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After successfully completing market testing of the SANDD mini and working in conjunction with the Louisiana State University Innovation Park, RedHawk has now acquired the exclusive rights to the SANDD Pro (the SANDD Pro) needle incineration technology. With the SANDD Pro, the Companys hypodermic needle incineration capabilities will now include 14-gauge hypodermic needles and higher, up to 8 in length. Additionally, the acquired SANDD Pro technology features a portable, rechargeable, battery operated unit. This portable unit (the SANDD Pro Portable) will incinerate as many as 300 needles, ranging in gauges as thick as 21 gauge and lengths up to 8 on a single charge. The SANDD Pro Portable is ideal for field use by first responders, home health care nurses and veterinarians.
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The newly acquired SANDD Pro technology includes, but will not be limited to, technical designs, drawings, trademarks, tradenames, clinical test data, and all manufacturing tooling and fixtures.
The complete line of SANDD products can be used in virtually all home and commercial applications including hospitals, first responders, a full range of clinics and primary care physicians, dentist, veterinarians, retirement and non-acute healthcare facilities. The SANDD mini is currently available for sale and the Company said it hopes to offer the SANDD Pro and the SANDD Pro Portable for sale by the end of the 2018 year.
Charles DAgostino, Executive Director of LSU Innovation Park, stated This exciting technology is a game changer in environmental medical safety and illustrates how an university research park can assist innovators develop, test and launch products.
Commenting on this new technology, the Company, said, The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than a half-million accidental sticks occur annually, with many of those injuries going unreported. In addition to potential threats to medical professionals, sharps often end up in recycling centers where workers who come into contact with the used needles can be hurt, or worse, contract life-threatening disease.
OSHA, the Company continued, estimates 5.6 million healthcare industry workers in the United States alone are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens via needlestick injuries. Each year 385,000 needlestick injuries and other sharps-related injuries are reported by U.S. hospital-based healthcare personnel. OSHA believes the actual number of needlestick injuries, including both reported and unreported injuries, could reach 1 million annually. The reported cases alone equate to an average of around 1,000 sharps injuries per day in U.S. hospitals. Including other non-acute healthcare facilities, it is estimated that 600,000 healthcare personnel incur a needlestick injury each year in the U.S. 40% of injuries occur after use and before disposal of sharp devices, 41% of injuries occur during the use of sharp devices on patients, and 15% of injuries occur during or after disposal. Virtually all healthcare personnel worldwide are at risk of harm from occupational exposures such as needlestick injuries. While nurses sustain approximately half of all needlestick injuries, physicians, housekeepers and maintenance staff, technicians, administrators and waste management personnel are also harmed. According to the American Hospital Association, one case of serious infection by bloodborne pathogens can soon add up to $1 million or more in expenditures for testing, follow-up, and disability payments. Costs that are harder to quantify include the emotional cost associated with fear and anxiety from worrying about the possible consequences of an exposure, direct and indirect costs associated with drug toxicities and lost time from work.
Legislators have passed laws to make it illegal to throw needles and sharps into the trash, but only a few states mandate a system to safely dispose of used needles. Because needles are considered hazardous medical waste, used needles must be placed in puncture-proof containers and taken to special drop-off sites. Many times, in a home setting, patients must travel a long-distance to safely dispose the needles but some of these patients are elderly or too ill to travel these long distances. Although, they can pay to participate in a disposal program through the mail, wherein used needles are shipped in safe containers to disposal sites, these programs can be expensive. Also, these programs do not prevent the re-use of needles by drug addicts.
The SANDD technology addresses the growing problem of needle sticks and hazardous waste disposal that continues to plague the medical and waste management industries. Using proprietary technology that creates an electric arc, the unit safely converts a used needle into a safe, powder residue in a matter of a few seconds. The powder residue is then no longer considered a hazardous material and can be safely disposed with the normal household waste in a home setting and without the need of a sharps container in a clinical setting.
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