UK-based Medovate, a medical device development company, has announced an agreement with AKSIA Healthcare FZC to distribute its SAFIRA (SAFer Injection for Regional Anaesthesia) product range in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.

SAFIRA is a Class II medical device system which is transforming regional anaesthesia around the world by making it a one-person procedure and incorporating a built-in safety system to automatically limit injection pressure.  

Following regulatory approvals, SAFIRA will become available through AKSIA Healthcare FZC in these three key Middle East markets.   

Developed in collaboration with clinicians from the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, the award-winning system puts full control of the injection in the hands of the anaesthesiologist, freeing up the previously required assistant to carry out other tasks. The system also helps to improve patient safety by reducing the risk of nerve damage as it automatically limits injection pressure to less than 20psi.    

Speaking about their partnership with AKSIA Healthcare FZC Chris Rogers, Sales and Marketing Director, at Medovate, said: “We are delighted to be working with Aksia Healthcare FZC as we now work towards launching SAFIRA in these key markets. This agreement will allow patients and clinicians in both governmental and private facilities to benefit from the value that SAFIRA brings to safer regional anaesthesia.” 

Ahmed Sallam, Managing Director of AKSIA Healthcare FZC, added: “We are pleased to enter this partnership with Medovate to distribute SAFIRA across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. There is a real need for a system like this, not only to help improve patient safety but also to have a huge impact on the way regional anaesthesia is carried out by anaesthesiologists.” 

SAFIRA was demonstrated live at Arab Health 2022 by one of its inventors, Dr Emad Fawzy, a consultant anaesthesiologist, at the flagship Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi.   

Dr Fawzy added: “I am delighted that this pioneering UK-developed medical system will soon be available to use across more Middle East states. The system has already been used by clinicians across the world and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We are expecting a large demand for it from Middle Eastern clinicians as it has a huge impact on patient safety.” 

SAFIRA has the potential to make a significant impact by making injection during regional anaesthesia safer, reducing the risk of nerve injury from injection at high pressures. It won the United Kingdom HSJ ‘Patient Safety Innovation of the Year’ award in 2021. 

Recent publications, including a joint statement by the American Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Management (ASRA) and the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA), have recommended regional anaesthesia be considered whenever surgery is planned for a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient. This is because it preserves respiratory function and avoids the potential for transmission of COVID-19 compared to general anaesthesia. 

As demand for such procedures continues to grow steadily, SAFIRA has the potential to make a significant impact, including in the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia in 2020 there were just under 3,500 practicing anaesthesiologists and research conducted in 2012 showed 88% of anaesthesiologists in Saudi Arabia were practising regional anaesthesia on a daily basis. The global ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia market is growing and is forecast to register a CAGR of 5.8% through to 2028.