PLAINSBORO, N.J., Nov. 13, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq:IART) today announced that JARIT(R) Surgical Instruments has been selected as a national supplier for HealthTrust Purchasing Group's (HPG) surgical instrument contract. Effective January 1, 2004, this 36-month contract gives Integra the opportunity to increase its general surgery customer base and to sell additional surgical instruments to HPG member hospitals that are already Integra customers. The contract provides HPG members with expanded choices for high quality instruments for traditional (open) and minimally invasive surgery.
"We are pleased that HPG has chosen JARIT to be one of its surgical instrument vendors," said Rob Rogowski, President of JARIT. "This award represents a great opportunity for JARIT to offer a broad range of general and specialty surgical instruments and services to a new customer base."
HealthTrust Purchasing Group, L.P. (http://www.healthtrustpg.com) is one of the nation's leading healthcare group purchasing organizations, with a current membership in excess of 1,000 facilities and contracting volume totaling more than $5.5 billion. HPG is committed to providing its customers with the highest-quality, cost-effective supplies and services for their patients, physicians, nurses and other clinicians.
JARIT Surgical Instruments is a leading provider of high quality reusable surgical instruments for general and minimally invasive surgery. Acquired by Integra in March 2003, JARIT provides its customers with quality, innovation and integrity in surgical instrumentation and offers its customers the highest fill-rates in the industry. JARIT is headquartered in Hawthorne, New York, with operational headquarters in Tuttlingen, Germany.
Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation is a diversified medical technology company that develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in a variety of applications. The primary applications for our products are neuro-trauma and neurosurgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery and general surgery. Integra is a leader in applying the principles of biotechnology to medical devices that improve patients' quality of life. JARIT Surgical Instruments is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Integra.
Our corporate headquarters are in Plainsboro, New Jersey, and we have manufacturing and research facilities located throughout the world. We have approximately 860 permanent employees. Please visit our Website at (http://www.Integra-LS.com).
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning future financial performance, including the potential for JARIT to expand its customer base and generate additional product sales from hospitals and health care systems affiliated with HPG. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from predicted or expected results. Among other things, the willingness of HPG-affiliated physicians, hospitals and health care systems to adopt JARIT's products may affect JARIT's ability to expand its customer base, and the quality and clinical effectiveness of JARIT's products as compared to competitor's products may affect JARIT's ability to increase sales of those products. In addition, the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors identified under the heading "Risk Factors" included in the Business section of Integra's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 and information contained in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission could affect actual results.