“Venetec has been steadily expanding its presence in Europe, and this agreement is a major step forward in that effort,” said Gene Starr, president and CEO. “We already have many accounts in the UK that order virtually the full line of StatLock products. With this new agreement, we are confident we will see accelerated growth and market acceptance in the UK.”

The agreement offers new benefits for Vygon customers, the company said.

Paul Allen, business development manager for Vygon UK, said the distribution agreement “enables us to provide a complete catheter placement and fixation package to nurses and physicians for all clinical applications.”

Vygon specializes in catheters for vascular access. It had 2004 sales in the UK of 38 million ($70 million), with a team of 30 salespeople and trainers providing product education and support to hospitals.

StatLock said its acceptance in the UK also would be helped by the new Royal College of Nursing Standards, which advocates suture-free securement for central venous catheters and other devices.

StatLock devices are included in safety infusion systems made by Baxter Healthcare, B. Braun, Arrow International, BD (Becton Dickinson), C.R. Bard, Cook, Kendall/ Tyco, and others.