New 5008 Therapy System Wins Design Award

Fresenius Medical Care has been recognized for its new 5008 therapy system with the "red dot award: product design". This therapy system is used for treating for patients with chronic kidney failure. Since 1955, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen has been marking outstanding international product design with the award. This year, more than 2,000 products from companies in 41 countries took part in the competition. The jury praised the noticeable improvement in the level of the entries: "Even in product categories where design was typically more neglected, such as medicine, design has now become an important competitive factor," the jury noted in a statement.

Dr. Emanuele Gatti, Management Board Member of Fresenius Medical Care responsible for development: "We are very pleased about the ‘red dot award: product design'. With the 5008 therapy system, we have primarily improved treatment quality and efficiency but also placed an emphasis on design. The award proves that medical equipment fits perfectly with creative product design." This benefits treatment personnel in dialysis clinics since they can operate and monitor the 5008 therapy system centrally, simply and, above all, safely using a large touch-screen monitor with an intuitive menu. During the design of the dialysis machine, developers integrated the latest ergonomic knowledge. All elements of the therapy system were laid out according to the most ideal working positions and procedures. Blood lines are easier to install and remove on the machine and all components are readily accessible and easily replaced.

The "red dot award: product design" will be presented during a gala celebration at the opera house in Essen, Germany on June 26. Some 1,200 guests from culture, business and politics are expected. Following the ceremony, the products recognized with the award will be on-display during a special "Design on stage – winners red dot award: product design 2006" exhibition at the red dot design museum in Essen through July 23. The 5008 therapy system has already won the 26th German Business Innovation Award last January.

Dialysis machines such as the new 5008 therapy system count among the most important products for the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease. The machines pump blood from a special access in the arm of a patient into the dialyzer where metabolic toxins and excess water are filtered from the blood with the help of a dialysis solution. The filtered blood is then infused back into the patient. The dialysis machine controls the circulation of blood outside the body and the composition of the dialysis solution. In addition, it introduces anti-coagulation drugs to prohibit clotting. This life-sustaining treatment is normally administered three times a week and lasts about four hours.

The 5008 differentiates itself from traditional dialysis systems by cost-effectively combing two different treatment procedures: diffusion-based hemodialysis and hemofiltration, where blood is filtered through a membrane. The increased amount of fluids filtered by the machine is countered automatically with the introduction of ultrapure electrolyte solution. This solution is produced by the dialysis machine itself – traditional machines would require extra solution in bags. The procedure is called online hemodiafiltration (Online-HDF) and is regarded by experts as the best-possible treatment type because of its many advantages for patients. Until now, an increase in costs limited Online-HDF to only a few patients. The new 5008 therapy system is able to significantly reduce operating costs through simpler operation, fewer maintenance requirements and an as-much-as 30% reduction in the amount of electricity and water needed. For the first time, this enables cost-effective access to Online-HDF treatment for a broader number of patients.

High resolution pictures and additional information on the new 5008 therapy system are available online at www.fresenius-ag.com/presskit.  Further details on the red dot award: product design can be found on the Design Zentrum Web site at http://en.red-dot.org/77.html.

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The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen was originally founded in 1954 in Essen as an association called „Industrieform e.V." The association's aim was to "facilitating an appropriate design of the environment for the public at large". Today, The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen is a globally recognized qualification and communication centre for industry, politics and society. Since 1997, it has been based in the former boiler house of Zeche Zollverein, a mine complex included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. There, in the unique architecture of the red dot design museum - the mine building converted by Lord Foster of Thames Bank - the Design Zentrum presents the present and future of design.

For more information about the Design Zentrum visit its website at www.red-dot.de.

Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest, integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, a condition that affects more than 1,400,000 individuals worldwide. Through its network of approximately 2,045 dialysis clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatment to approximately 158,700 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the world's leading provider of dialysis products such as hemodialysis machines, dialyzers and related disposable products. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME, FME3) and the New York Stock Exchange (FMS, FMS-p).

For more information about Fresenius Medical Care visit the Company's website at www.fmc-ag.com.