The following is a release from Bothell-based Vioguard, Inc.:
Bothell-based Vioguard, Inc. and Channels Business Group-Channels Medical Solutions (CMS) announced today an agreement for CMS to act as an Authorized Representative in Saudi Arabia. This means that CMS will partner with Vioguard to get the American company’s patented self-sanitizing keyboards approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and to represent Vioguard in the Middle East.
The two companies signed the deal at this year’s Arab Health Convention in Dubai.
“We have been looking for ideal overseas partners to get our technology to the rest of the world,” said Dave Schultz, Chief Executive Officer and President of Vioguard. “Channels Business Group-Channels Medical Solutions will help us make strong inroads in the Middle East.”
Vioguard’s flagship product is a self-sanitizing automated keyboard and mouse system that uses high-powered germicidal ultraviolet light, known as UV-C. This system, which has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, effectively kills 99.99 percent of all bacteria, viruses, fungi and drug-resistant pathogens that have been proven to be responsible for millions of Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) worldwide. Additionally, Vioguard holds patents in the UV-C space for sanitizing surfaces such as touch screens, telephones, escalator handrails, writing implements, and various other surface and input devices.
Hesham Al-Falah, Chief Executive Officer of Channels Business Group of Saudi Arabia, described the Vioguard keyboard as a revolutionary infection control product. “The device is a high-technology system with numerous positive features: constant sterilization with guaranteed output, no human mistakes or interference, and it is environment-friendly,” he said. “It is exactly what we are looking to showcase at healthcare fairs and exhibitions worldwide. The benefactors of this great solution will be both healthcare and non-healthcare organizations, as they will be able to provide their staff and patients with a better, safer use of shared computers and workstations.”
Al-Falah said the timing of the agreement is critical, especially because of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, a severe respiratory illness that was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread to several other countries in the Middle East the last few years. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, most people infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Many of them have died. The virus spreads from ill people to others through close contact.
Vioguard and Channels Business Group benefitted from the services of the U.S. Department of Commerce office in Riyadh throughout the negotiations.
“We were extremely pleased to be involved in the process of assisting Vioguard and Channels Business Group to reach this agreement,” said Maher Siblini, senior commercial specialist of the U.S. Commercial Service group in the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The infection-fighting technology that Vioguard brings, along with the business expertise of Channels Business Group, is a huge win for healthcare in the region.”
