Aircraft is UK winner in National Award for Medical Innovation (Press Release)
Posted on Wed 14th February 2007
Aircraft Medical, the UK medical devices company, has achieved national recognition for its McGRATH® Series 5 Laryngoscope (the “McGRATH®”), the world’s first self-contained fully portable video laryngoscope, at the inaugural Medilink UK National Medical Technology Awards.
The awards ceremony featured as part of the MedTec Conference and Exhibition 2007 held at Birmingham’s NEC on 12 and 14 February. A panel of judges and former UK winners selected winners from a pool of over 3000 Medilink member companies at a national level for each of the five categories: Innovation; Growth in Sector; Business Start-up; Export Achievement and Partnership with the NHS.
The award for Innovation went to the McGrath® laryngoscope, designed by 29 year-old Edinburgh entrepreneur Matt McGrath.
The McGRATH® video laryngoscope is a hand held medical device, which is used for a common global medical procedure called tracheal intubation. This allows medics to artificially take control of a patients breathing during general anaesthetic.
The McGRATH® represents the most significant advancement in laryngoscope design since the 1940’s and is revolutionising the global practice of intubation.
Clinical studies have demonstrated the McGRATH®’s ability to reduce the risks associated with difficult intubations, which can lead to patient trauma, broken teeth, cross infection and in severe circumstances brain damage and death.
Matt McGrath, CEO of Aircraft Medical commented:
“We’re delighted to have won the Innovation category at the first ever Medilink Awards, it is testament to the quality of the product and its relevance at a global level. Since we launched the company in 2001 we have quickly managed to secure significant distribution deals in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada and we intend to announce further deals in due course.”
Kevin Wilson, Chairman of Medilink UK and CEO of Medical Devices In Scotland (MDIS) commented:
“It is tremendous that we had so much interest and participation in the inaugural UK National Medical Technology Awards. The event gave recognition to the excellent work being carried out by companies across the UK. MDIS are delighted that Aircraft Medical scooped the award for Innovation, it shows that Scotland is still firmly on the map when it comes to high quality innovation combined with the entrepreneurial drive to get the product to market.”
In August 2006, Aircraft Medical reached an agreement with LMA North America for exclusive distribution rights in the United States for the McGRATH® Series 5. The Directors estimate that the agreement could generate revenues in excess of $50m for Aircraft Medical over the next five years. More recently, the company has announced a similar distribution deal with Canadian-based Vitaid Ltd worth $5.4 million.