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SAN DIEGO — MediShield LLC has landed major distribution deals in Canada and is working on one in the United States that will bring its CastShield waterproof cast covers to retail pharmacies.
Kevin Burns, president and chief executive officer of San Diego-based MediShield, said CastShield has been picked up by Walmart Canada, McKesson Canada, Canadian health care products distributor Kohl & Frisch and 450 Rexall drug stores. The product began shipping to those companies a few weeks ago.
"We are going into 450 Rexall drug stores, which are part of the Katz Group, to start and expect to roll out [CastShield] to probably 900 of their stores eventually," Burns said.
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CastShield meets a huge demand for waterproof protection of casts, bandages and prosthetics, according to MediShield. |
MediShield also is in talks to introduce CastShield at Walgreen Co., according to Burns. He described the process of bringing the product to Walgreens drug stores as pretty far along. The CastShield website, in fact, says "CastShield – Coming Soon to Walgreens" and has a video clip of a commercial developed for the distribution to Walgreens.
"We’ll mostly likely get a rollout next April," Burns said. "And that will be at 7,300 Walgreens stores."
A reusable, roll-on latex covering, CastShield provides a waterproof seal for casts, bandages, vascular compression products, diabetic feet and prosthetic devices. MediShield notes that CastShield meets an enormous demand for waterproof protection of casts, bandages and prosthetics with a simple-to-use solution. The product, priced at $19.95, comes in blue and pink and has small, medium, large and extra large sizes.
According to MediShield, excessive external or internal moisture is the chief cause of premature cast replacement, and seepage of water beneath a cast fosters growth of bacteria, causing odor and increasing the risk of infection. Before CastShield, the only option for people with a cast who want to take a shower or bath was to cover their cast with a plastic bag or take a sponge bath, the company said.
Burns said that at retail pharmacies, CastShield will initially be placed in the first aid aisle but eventually may also be put in the diabetic products section.
"We’re heavily going after the diabetic market, the diabetic neuropathy and ulcers on the feet," he said. "We’re having a ton of success with podiatrists who treat diabetic wound syndrome. So a nice upgrade path for us [at retail] is to begin in first aid and then eventually go into the diabetes section." Drug stores’ home health care sections also could be another placement opportunity for CastShield, he added.
Late last month, MediShield announced that it was selected as a winner of the 11th Annual New York Venture Summit Top Innovator award by youngStartup Ventures. The award recognizes innovative, young companies in the technology, health care, life sciences and clean-tech sectors. Burns said he delivered a presentation about MediShield this Thursday at the 2011 New York Venture Summit.
MediShield in mid-June also said Richard Gray, M.D., has joined the company as medical adviser. Gray has a long and deep background in the medical care and medical device arenas, notably as medical adviser for St. Jude Medical. "Having someone of Dr. Gray’s caliber come on board is testament to all the critical business milestones MediShield has achieved but, more importantly, testifies to the strength of our CastShield product line," Burns stated when Gray’s appointment was announced.
