Medical Device Available to Aid State Medicaid’s Cystic Fibrosis patients

News Release

Jacksonville, FL, (May 1, 2008) – An advanced electronic nebulizer that dramatically reduces treatment times for people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is now available for those patients who are in Florida’s Medicaid Program.

For the estimated 1,200 people who live with CF in Florida, the new device used in combination with new drug compounds can cut their treatment time in half, according to Greg S. Carter, owner of Carter’s Park and King Pharmacy.

Carter’s pharmacy has been approved as a distributor for the eFlow® SCF for Medicaid patients under a pilot project, and is one of only four pharmacies distributing the new nebulizer nationwide.

"For CF patients in Florida and thousands nationwide, the new technology means each patient’s treatment by about one-third – from three hours or more to an hour or less," Carter said.

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Carter has been working with Florida’s Medicaid Department and Florida State Senator Steven Wise on a pilot program to introduce the eFlow® into common use among CF patients who are in the state’s Medicaid Program.

By having this new technology available to those in the Medicaid Program, it can help those CF patients adhere to common therapies and may result in a reduction in Medicaid costs. The agency hopes that through implementing pilot programs such as these, it can introduce new technologies that provide a higher level of health care to Medicaid participants while the agency monitor its effectiveness in driving down medical costs.

For more information about the eFlow®, contact Carter’s Park & King Pharmacy at 904-389-4355, toll free at 800-557-0583 or visit www.carterspharmacies.com.

Media Contact: Ron Whittington (904-563-0402)