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Didrick Medical Inc. Receives 2009 Perfect Pitch Award, Launches World Hand FoundationNAPLES, Fla. --(Business Wire)-- Didrick Medical Inc. today announces that the company has received the 2009 Perfect Pitch Award for the X-Finger®, the world's first active-function artificial finger assembly designed specifically for partial-finger amputees. On the coattails of the win, the company also announces the launch of the World Hand Foundation, a non-profit foundation that seeks to increase access to prosthetic hand devices in cultures and communities worldwide that would otherwise lack the financial resources to invest in prosthetics. As part of the launch, Didrick Medical has committed to donate a percentage of all X-Finger sales to the World Hand Foundation. PerfectBusiness.com, an online network of entrepreneurs, investors and business experts working together to promote entrepreneurship and mutual success, presented the award at The Perfect Pitch 2009 Entrepreneur & Investor Conference held Oct. 26 in Marina del Rey, Calif. The competition featured submissions from all 50 states and eight countries. Judges included noted entrepreneurs and venture capitalists from across the country, including Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group. Other finalists for the award included ICON Aircraft and Vubiq, Inc. "We are thrilled about being recognized with this award - especially from such a prestigious group and among such strong competitors," said Dan Didrick, CEO of Didrick Medical. "While the art of fabricating realistic finger prostheses has come a long way, major advancements have been primarily cosmetic. Now that the aesthetics are nearly perfect, it is time for integrating function, which is an invaluable benefit to finger prostheses. This award substantiates the need for functional prosthetic finger technology. Both the award and the World Hand Foundation will help us provide practical solutions to those who need such devices." The X-Finger does not require batteries or motors to operate. Instead, the removable device's motion is controlled by the remaining portion of any finger or the user's palm. The device's flexion and extension movements are guided by the same cognitive process previously used to flex and extend the finger, and motion is achieved with the same speed, strength and dexterity as the original finger. The X-Finger is one part of a series of components that can be assembled into more than 500 configurations of devices in multiple sizes. Collectively, the series is known as the X-System. According to the CDC, approximately 28,000 non-work-related amputations occur annually involving one or more fingers. One in 200 individuals is expected to lose one or more fingers in his/her lifetime. The U.S. Bureau of Labor reports that approximately 8,000 work-related amputations occur annually involving one or more fingers. The X-Finger is patented in the United States and has several additional patents or patents pending in dozens of select nations. It is registered with the FDA, CE-marked for European Sales under the Medical Device Directive, registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia and CCR-Registered for U.S. military sales and use. Didrick Medical is currently in the process of making the devices available in Japan under the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Administration. The X-Finger has received considerable praise from the prosthetics industry, the medical community and the world of design. It has been showcased in several museums, including the United States Patent and Trademark Museum, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Museum of Science in Boston, the Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal in New York City, the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Isimbardi Palace in Milan, Italy. The X-Finger was also a finalist in the 2009 Index Awards in Copenhagen held by the Crown Prince of Denmark. The device has been featured on Modern Marvels on the History Channel and Squawk Box with Joe Kernan on CNBC. Didrick Medical is currently seeking funding and investments for both the X-Finger and the World Hand Foundation. To learn about funding opportunities, please contact Matthew Simmons, chief operating officer, at 877-343-7425. About Didrick Medical Inc. Naples, Fla.-based Didrick Medical is the developer and manufacturer of the X-Finger®, the world's first active-function artificial finger assembly designed specifically for partial-finger amputees. The company's prosthetic finger technology, which relies on normal cognitive techniques for motion, has received wide acclaim around the world. Didrick Medical is also the proud founder and lead sponsor of the World Hand Foundation, a non-profit foundation that seeks to increase access to prosthetic hand devices in cultures and communities worldwide that otherwise would lack the financial resources to invest in prosthetics. For more information about Didrick Medical or the X-Finger, visit www.didrickmedical.com. Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6089141&lang=en |
