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CARLSBAD - 12/22/04 - Medical device manufacturer Medex Inc. has been acquired by the Smiths Group plc, a UK based designer of medical products for critical health care.

Completion of this acquisition, expected early in the New Year, is subject to regulatory approval.

According to a company press release, the acquisition "will increase Smiths' presence at a number of important customer call points, especially infection control departments, intensive care units, anesthesia and respiratory departments."

Geographically, two-thirds of Medex's sales are made in North America and, while the company has already successfully established a presence in international markets, there is considerable opportunity to further expand into those markets through Smiths Medical International.

Two-thirds of Medex's sales are of intravenous catheters, which are designed to prevent accidental injuries caused by needle "sharps" which remain exposed after use.

The company also makes advanced syringe pumps which incorporate medication error detection, and markets and sells its products to over 5,500 hospitals, health care systems, and alternate healthcare settings in more than 75 countries.

It employs about 2,000 people worldwide.

For the year ending July 31, Smiths Medical - the leading supplier of ambulatory infusion pumps in the worldwide market - racked up sales of $853 million, with almost 60% of its operating income originating from sales in the US, where 13,000 of the company's total 27,000 people are employed.

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