(Fort Worth, TX) --- HEALTHPOINT, Ltd.’s TRISEPTIN® Water-Aided Brush-Free Surgical Scrub has been selected as the standard brushless surgical hand scrub for Air Force, Army, and Navy Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs) in the Northeast region (Tricare Region I) of the United States. TRISEPTIN Water-Aided was approved recently by the Tri-Service Product Review Board following evaluation and recommendation by a team of clinicians from the armed services.

        The three-year agreement is the first Regional Incentive Agreement (RIA) for HEALTHPOINT a DFB Pharmaceuticals company and Texas-based market leader in surgical, tissue management, and dermatology products.

        “This agreement standardizes one of our company’s products across an entire region of medical treatment facilities in the armed services,” said Steve Owens, Marketing Director, HEALTHPOINT Surgical Division, “It demonstrates endorsement of TRISEPTIN Water-Aided following systematic analysis by a highly respected group. The awarding of this agreement is a great honor.”

        HEALTHPOINT’s TRISEPTIN Water-Aided, the first brush-free alcohol surgical scrub on the U.S. market, will be the standard brushless surgical hand scrub for MTFs in Region I of the Tricare Military Health System, the U.S. Department of Defense’s worldwide health care program for active duty and retired uniformed services members and their families.

        Region I includes MTFs Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, among others. It is one of the first of 12 Tricare regions in the U.S. to conduct standardization efforts. Region I is composed of MTFs located throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and parts of Virginia and West Virginia.

        HEALTHPOINT’s TRISEPTIN Water-Aided was selected for standardization across Region I following a thorough evaluation, recommendation, and voting process. First, the Clinical Product Team (CPT), composed of clinicians from Air Force, Army, and Navy MTFs in the National Capital Area, conducted the clinical evaluation phase of the standardization initiative for brushless surgical hand scrubs. The clinical evaluation was conducted from July 14, 2003 to August 8, 2003 at four MTFs, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; the DeWitt Army Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and, the Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Evaluators surveyed staff in their respective perioperative departments. The survey data were collected and analyzed, and the CPT made a final clinical recommendation to the Tri-Service Product Review Board for voting.

        This is HEALTHPOINT’s first agreement with Tricare but not the first agreement with the armed services. HEALTHPOINT has Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) and Distribution and Pricing Agreements (DAPAs) for the TRISEPTIN Water-Aided and Waterless products, as well as Actiprep surgical skin preparation, and has enjoyed relationships with numerous VA and Army facilities.

        This latest agreement demonstrates continued support of HEALTHPOINT products within governmental agencies. In 2002, DFB Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates HEALTHPOINT and DPT Laboratories were granted a license for a patented topical skin protectant technology from the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a prescription pharmaceutical for military use only, the technology is currently used to protect soldiers from skin exposure to chemical warfare agents when used in conjunction with appropriate protective clothing. HEALTHPOINT is determining requirements for the existing military product to be labeled for use by first responders and consumers.

        Since its inception in 1992, HEALTHPOINT has established a U.S. presence in the research, development, and marketing of branded pharmaceuticals, over the counter drugs, and medical devices for tissue management, dermatology, and surgical indications. An aggressive research and development effort has brought HEALTHPOINT’s unique technologies to the market, setting the pace for its highly trained field organization of direct sales representatives. HEALTHPOINT, with over 250 employees, is a DFB Pharmaceuticals, Inc. affiliate company. HEALTHPOINT is based in Fort Worth, Texas and on the web at www.healthpoint.com.

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