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 the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN is now available on the shelves of select Rexall Pharmacies in Canada.
Participating Rexall Pharmacies will display the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN in their diabetes over-the-counter (OTC) section. In-store product literature for customers as well as pharmacists will be made available from CardioComm Solutions in the participating stores. In promoting the launch of the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN, Rexall will promote the device within the Heart Health section of the Health + Wellness area of Rexall’s corporate website. In addition, CardioComm Solutions will list those store locations where product has been received by Rexall stores on the CardioComm Solutions HeartCheck™ Website at www.theheartcheck.com.
The HeartCheck™ ECG PEN is approved by Health Canada and the FDA for OTC sales and represents the newest Class II medical device approved for every day home-use in the past 40 years. Its availability represents a groundbreaking advancement that enables progressive pharmacies to offer their clients the opportunity for personalized, in-home heart health monitoring. To the concerned or motivated consumer, the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN will allow them to monitor their heart right at the time they experience difficult to capture or unpredictable symptoms such as racing heart rates, palpitations, dizziness or irregular heartbeats. ECG recordings can be saved and shared with the person’s health care provider, or sent to the Company’s SMART Monitoring ECG service for review, interpretation and confirmation of the presence of a potential cardiac arrhythmia within 30 minutes.
Intended not only for those actively interested in taking control in maintaining their health, the HeartCheck™ PEN is also for those living with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart disease and may help to identify the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and track for 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 3 to 5 times greater than those without AF according to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The HeartCheck™ PEN introduction into Rexall marks another important milestone in CardioComm Solution’s efforts to expand sales throughout Canada. It comes at a time when the provision of managed healthcare in Canada is moving away from traditionally exclusive healthcare providers such as hospitals and when informed consumers are increasingly taking charge of managing their own health. This paradigm shift is one that pharmacies and pharmacists are playing an active role in. Through the introduction of qualified medical devices such as the HeartCheck™ ECG PEN, this continuing shift will serve to relieve some of the current pressures on a heavily burdened Canadian Health Care system. The HeartCheck™ ECG PEN device and GEMS™ Home software will specifically enable consumers to be proactive in managing an important aspect of their health that previously was not possible without a visit to a physician or medical testing laboratory.
CardioComm Solutions will provide further updates on the HeartCheck™ Program and participating pharmacy locations at the www.theheartcheck.com website.