SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, Dec. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMSI), a leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care and endoscopy, today announced that its subsidiary Merit Medical Ireland won the Medtech Company of the Year Award 2018, a prestigious award granted by a panel consisting of Irish business enterprise and governmental agency leaders.
Merit Medical Ireland commenced operations in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, Ireland in 1993 with 22 employees manufacturing single-use inflation and hemostasis devices. Today, Merit’s European operations are headquartered in Galway City, Ireland, with approximately 1,000 employees. Merit now has two state-of-the-art facilities (157,000 square feet) in Galway and supports operations and R&D activities for Merit’s additional European facilities in Roissy, France and Maastricht and Venlo, The Netherlands. Merit’s European operations contributed approximately 33% to Merit’s corporate revenues in 2017 and Merit’s Galway facility is a recognized center of excellence. In the last four years, revenues from Merit’s European operations have increased by 74% with matching employee growth, while continuing to execute on margins above Merit’s corporate average.
“We are pleased to be recognized as a premium company in Ireland,” said Fred P. Lampropoulos, Merit’s Chairman and CEO. “Our Irish operations continue to grow and prosper and significantly contribute to our company’s overall success. We are proud of the leadership and hard work of our Irish team.”
Merit Medical’s Executive Vice President, European Operations, R&D and Strategy, Mark Butler, said, “We are thrilled, honored and humbled to accept this award on behalf of our dedicated team in Galway. We are proud to be recognized by the industry, amongst so many great medtech companies throughout this island.”
ABOUT MERIT
Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care and endoscopy. Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force and clinical support team totaling in excess of 300 individuals. Merit employs approximately 5,600 people worldwide with facilities in South Jordan, Utah; Pearland, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Malvern, Pennsylvania; Rockland, Massachusetts; San Jose and Aliso Viejo, California; Maastricht and Venlo, The Netherlands; Paris, France; Galway, Ireland; Beijing, China; Tijuana, Mexico; Joinville, Brazil; Markham, Ontario, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; and Singapore.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements contained in this release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Merit’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to Merit’s potential inability to successfully manage growth through acquisitions, including the inability to commercialize technology acquired through completed, proposed or future transactions; expenditures relating to research, development, testing and regulatory approval or clearance of Merit’s products and risks that such products may not be developed successfully or approved for commercial use; governmental scrutiny and regulation of the medical device industry, including governmental inquiries, investigations and proceedings involving Merit; restrictions on Merit’s liquidity or business operations resulting from its debt agreements; infringement of Merit’s technology or the assertion that Merit’s technology infringes the rights of other parties; product recalls and product liability claims; changes in customer purchasing patterns or the mix of products Merit sells; the potential of fines, penalties or other adverse consequences if Merit’s employees or agents violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other laws or regulations; laws and regulations targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry; potential for significant adverse changes in governing regulations, including reforms to the procedures for approval or clearance of Merit’s products by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration or comparable regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions; changes in tax laws and regulations in the United States or other countries; increases in the prices of commodity components; negative changes in economic and industry conditions in the United States or other countries; termination or interruption of relationships with Merit’s suppliers, or failure of such suppliers to perform; fluctuations in exchange rates; concentration of a substantial portion of Merit’s revenues among a few products and procedures; development of new products and technology that could render Merit’s existing products obsolete; market acceptance of new products; volatility in the market price of Merit’s common stock; modification or limitation of governmental or private insurance reimbursement policies; changes in healthcare policies or markets related to healthcare reform initiatives; failure to comply with applicable environmental laws; changes in key personnel; work stoppage or transportation risks; introduction of products in a timely fashion; price and product competition; availability of labor and materials; fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory; and other factors referred to in Merit’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and other materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to Merit or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Actual results will likely differ, and may differ materially, from anticipated results. Financial estimates are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future operating results, and Merit assumes no obligation to update or disclose revisions to those estimates.
Contact: Anne-Marie Wright, Vice President, Corporate Communications
Phone: (801) 208-4167 e-mail: awright@merit.com Fax: (801) 253-1688
