HeartCheck™ PEN to be marketed directly to over 500 Independent Retail Pharmacies in Ontario
TORONTO, ONTARIO – CardioComm Solutions, Inc. (TSX VENTURE:EKG) (“CardioComm Solutions” or the “Company”), a global medical provider of electrocardiogram (“ECG”) acquisition and management software solutions, announces they have entered into an agreement with a direct-to-pharmacy sales force for the introduction of the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN for sale into 517 independent retail pharmacies in Ontario. The Company confirms the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN will start to be available on the shelves of Ontario based independent retail pharmacies starting March 2015.
The start of pharmacy based sales was announced February 16th, 2015, when the Company confirmed the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN was available through participating stores of Canada’s largest pharmacy chain. Of these, 300 locations are within the province of Ontario, the province that by far holds the greatest number of the pharmacies in Canada*. With the addition of as many as 517 independently owned Ontario pharmacies over the coming months, CardioComm Solutions will be implementing various media strategies to increased consumer awareness on the availability of the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN across Canada with a focus on sales in Ontario. CardioComm Solutions will be adding new participating pharmacy locations and will provide further updates on availability of the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN at www.theheartcheck.com.
The consumer and pharmacy markets are already familiar with measuring blood pressure and sugar levels but what about measuring how well a person’s heart is beating? Is it irregular, fast, too slow, is it normal or not? Previously, figuring this out has meant a trip to the doctor or emergency room to get hooked up to an EKG machine but now anyone may test themselves by using the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN handheld device. Without the need for a physician prescription, this consumer product will open opportunities for better heart health monitoring. There is also an option for getting an ECG reviewed by the Company’s SMART Monitoring ECG service with results provided back to the consumer within an hour. The Company has previously announced the use of its HeartCheck™ products and services in atrial fibrillation (AF) screening programs with the Heart and Stroke and academic university-based physicians and the on-line sales of the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN through cardiac arrhythmia advocacy groups as well as the Canadian Pharmacy.ca.
The HeartCheck™ ECG PEN lets you self-monitor your heart health whether it’s to ensure continued good health or for use at the time symptoms such as a racing heart rate, palpitations, dizziness or irregular heartbeats are experienced. This Canadian innovation is the only device of its kind approved by Health Canada and cleared by the FDA for over-the-counter sales and its introduction represents the newest Class II medical device technology cleared for home-use in the past 40 years.
Intended not only for those actively interested in taking control of maintaining their heart health, the HeartCheck™ PEN is also for those living with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and congestive heart disease. Its use may help to identify the presence of AF and track signs for risk of sudden cardiac death such as prolonged QRS duration and QT intervals. AF is the most common arrhythmia in developed countries and is associated with a doubling of risk for dementia, a tripling of risk for heart failure, and a 40% to 90% increased risk for overall mortality, according to the Framingham Heart Study. Individuals with atrial fibrillation also have a very high risk of stroke that is three (3) to five (5) times greater than those without AF, according to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.
As a special bonus, CardioComm Solutions is offering ten (10) free ECG readings to those who purchase the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN through pharmacies during February, March and April 2015.
*January 1, 2015, statistics from the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities
